Iruka ni Hanataba o
by vernajast
Summary: Genma and Anko decide to set workaholic Iruka-sensei up on a series of blind dates. In the meantime, his friend Kakashi helps him keep up his courage in between with dinner and running commentary. IruKakaIru. SasuNaru. Fluff.
1. Love Is

_Prompt-fic for LJ KakaIru comm's Valentine's Day Challenge 2008. Not the best to date, but the best I'd written at the time. Procrastinating a re-write/editing session with this series. _

_Iruka seems to be a workaholic and it has his friends worried. Anko and Genma decide to pair him up on blind dates (though mostly for the entertainment value). Kakashi keeps up a running commentary at their weekly dinners and tries to help Iruka stay optimistic. Set eight years after the start of the manga series. KakaIru, but expect other pairings to be referenced/implied, and not just m/m. A small bit of angst in the middle, but really, it's a fluff fic. _

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**Iruka ni Hanataba o  
_[Flowers for Iruka]_**

**by vernajast**

_kakashi x iruka  
valentine's day fic 2008_

_~*~  
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**_Iruka_**

"Love is a new set of shuriken from my brother."

"Love is hugging."

"Love is something secret, like a special gift."

"Love is wagashi. And mum's is the best!"

"Love is Ami, when she holds my hand."

"Love is when my parents make dinner together. They let me make the tea."

"Love is wanting someone else to be happy."

"Love is when you kiss a lot."

They were all valid answers, each in its own way, the sensei supposed. At least most of the terrible ones had been caught and, after discussing a bit more, corrected. Explaining to an Akimichi why love is not necessarily barbecue and dango, well, it was all part of the job, right? The distraught boy had been on the verge of crying, until he realized the person making the food mattered most.

It was all very cute, really, and going well--until they started asking _him_ questions about love...and kissing and babies, three things about which Iruka had little to say. Since Mizuki, well, his answer seemed to be "Love is betrayal." or "Love is a shuriken in the back." Not particularly good answers to give eleven-year-old pre-genin.

So, when they asked, he thought for a moment and said, "Love is why I train you every day to be good ninja. I love Konoha and I want you all to be great so that you can defend the place I love when it's needed. Love, for me, is the way I feel about our village and the people we protect." He made sure to catch each student's eye before smiling. "Alright, everyone. Leave your papers on my desk and you're dismissed."

They filed out, most seeming lost in thought, as they contemplated love and its varied meanings. It's what Iruka hoped, anyway, though he admitted that they were probably thinking more about dinner and playing with their friends. He wished "good day" to Ami, who was the last out the door, and closed it behind her, slumping into the chair behind his squat wooden desk.

Deciding that answering their questions had fulfilled his masochistic requirements for one day, the sensei grabbed the stack of "Love is..." papers and left the rest of their work in the classroom. With a final glance around the room, he flipped off the lights and set his traps, smirking at the thought of one of his students actually sneaking into his room and setting one off, forced to come to the academy wearing buckets of red, waterproof chakra-laced paint or falling into a "perpetual-quiz" genjutsu. _It's the little things,_ he muttered with a half-smile.

On the bulletin board outside the door, Iruka tacked the twenty papers onto the display, and then headed home to a quiet evening of tea and good book.

* * *

**_Kakashi_**

Post-traumatic stress. Depression. Losing touch with reality. Various psychological ailments were known to affect shinobi--the result of a life lived killing for their villages.

In fact, the only Leaf nin who seemed immune to any sort of ailment (except the general edge of insanity expected from every elite jounin) was Hatake Kakashi. He never requested sleeping-draughts or anxiety serums. He never stopped by the mental health ward at the hospital and never consulted the medic-nin except for severe physical wounds.

As far as anyone could tell, Kakashi was...fine.

However, what the gossips of Konoha didn't know was that Kakashi liked to slip in through a window and walk the academy at night, banishing the memories of the one year he'd spent there and living vicariously through the cluttered handwriting and crudely drawn art of the current pre-genin.

And reading _Icha Icha Paradise_ in its halls held some amusement of its own.

Apparently, the camellia festival next month--"Seven weeks, really. They're starting early."--had prompted discussions about things like loyalty, honor, love, and commitment. He definitely didn't remember any lessons like that from when he was a student. They had been at war, and the classes had been more like _stab-lunge-throw-dodge-kill_. In retrospect, he might have done well with some better understanding of relationships, particularly growing up--_Stop._

Willing his mind in a new direction, Kakashi paused by a bright, orderly display of small paper rectangles.

_Love is like when mommy helped me pick my new kimono and she told me I was so pretty._

Kakashi cringed, then chuckled softly. "That explains Sakura's attitude as a genin, anyway." He sat his book on the windowsill for a minute and rubbed his hands over his face, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. "Meh. They are excellent ninja now, so maybe it was worth the trouble teaching them this stuff."

_What would I have answered to a question like that at this age?_

_Love is a useless burden,_ provided a sarcastic voice that sounded suspiciously like Obito's.

"Ouch. Yeah, that sounds right."

Needing to clear the depressing thought from his mind, he stood back up and perused the little papers a while longer, chuckling at this one and smiling at that, and, generally, improving his mood to a great degree. He was vaguely aware whose classroom it was, and to no one at all, he mumbled, "Iruka-sensei, your students made my night."

Still unwilling to go home, Kakashi picked the lock on Iruka's classroom and let himself in. The calm, cool emptiness of the room enveloped him. As expected of the temperamental sensei, it was orderly and well-maintained. The paint, however, was completely unexpected.

In a flurry of movement that spanned the moment he realized something wasn't quite right, _red_ paint doused the back of Kakashi's head and hair.

Paint laced with traces of chakra. Experience told him it would require the owner to unseal it before he could wash it off. Luckily, it was no mystery as to _whose_ chakra was laced within the rapidly drying liquid.

The coincidence wasn't lost on Kakashi, either. This was the same classroom in which, years ago, Naruto had tagged him with a falling eraser. It had caught Kakashi offguard, just as the paint had done, but he'd never let his calm facade drop. Even as he stood covered in stiff, dry paint, Kakashi admired the sensei's handiwork. Really, the simplest, least chakra intensive traps were the best, the least detectable, and Kakashi had genuinely stepped right into it.

It was on this note of amused annoyance that Kakashi made his way home, conjuring a genjutsu to hide the sanguine streaks on his hair and the back of his neck, a bit angry with himself, but otherwise unphased by the turn of events. A slight smile on his face, and a relaxed air about his body, and no one would know. Then, the sensei would simply remove the stuff tomorrow.

It'd been interesting, at least.

In his small, dingy apartment, rarely inhabited as he was always on missions lately, Kakashi hummed to fill the emptiness of its rooms. He changed into a clean uniform, switched an eye patch for his hitai-ate, triple checked his doors and windows, reset all of his traps, and eventually climbed into bed.

Lying there, staring up at the ceiling, listening to the quiet village around him...it was impossible. Sleeping in the village just wasn't like sleeping on a mission. He wasn't dead on his feet or grabbing a few hours before watch. It was just too relaxed. And the dry, itchy paint wasn't making things any easier.

He reached down into the dirty pants he'd dropped onto the floor beside his bed and felt around for his book. Prodding. Poking. Searching, not finding..."Shit."

_Icha Icha Paradise_, Volume 1 was missing.

It was too late to go back and look for it; a _few_ hours of rest, if not sleep, were necessary. He'd just have to wait for morning, then search between his apartment and the academy on his way to see Iruka.

With a roll of his eye, Kakashi slid lazily out of bed, scratching at paint stuck to his scalp, and grabbed Volume 2 off the shelf. It was the one in which Victor discovered Erica was sleeping with his friend Donald...there was an eloquent fight, then a make-out scene just after that bordered on obscenely hilarious, if he recalled correctly. And having read it exactly 27 times, he was sure he did.

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_A/N: Flower references mostly come from Tokyopop's blog entry with explanations of hanakotoba (Japanese flower language). Seemed to have slightly more credibility than the Geocities page cited by Wikipedia. ;) (http://www tokyopop co jp/Robofish/tparticle/286911 html - remove spaces)_


	2. Fuck

**The next day.**

Kakashi awoke with a slow, languid stretch. He had no missions today, and the blankets were particularly warm and comfy. The lunchtime sounds of the village made for excellent background noise. There were--"Fuck. What time is it?"

The night before flooded back to him: walking the streets of Konoha, eventually making it to the academy, wandering the halls and reading the little papers about love, getting doused with paint...losing Volume 1 of the _Icha Icha_ series...somewhere in between, probably in the academy. The academy that he was supposed to have infiltrated for an _Icha Icha search-and-rescue_ this morning. _Before_ the students arrived. "Oh."

Rolling out of bed and toeing on his sandals, he deftly attached his weaponry, shook out his hair as best he could, tossed his eye patch on the kitchen table, tied on his hitai-ate, pulled up his mask, activated the genjutsu that would hide the paint, and slid Volume 2 into the pouch at his side.

As he passed through the door, an idea occurred to him. Biting his finger enough to draw blood, Kakashi summoned Pakkun. The small brown pug obediently _poofed_ into place and waited patiently for the mission parameters. "Pakkun, I've lost one of my books. Could you scout around town with me and see if you can find it?"

The nin-dog leveled an apathetic expression at the Copy-nin. "Is that a direct order on official business, Kakashi?"

"Uh...no?"

"Good. Not gonna happen. I don't want my nose anywhere near your porn collection." Kakashi could have sworn he heard the dog chuckle, though Pakkun's features didn't betray any hint of humor.

He dismissed the summon with an arched brow and an annoyed pout hidden safely behind his mask and stalked out of the apartment. Shrugging and rolling his eye, Kakashi locked up and--"Fuck." The key broke off in his lock as he rotated it a bit harder than was necessary. He mentally added "Locksmith" to his to-do list with a huff, then turned and slouched toward the academy, glancing discreetly into bushes and bare flowerbeds along the way in the hopes that he might catch a glimpse of the bright book cover.

At a crosswalk, he saw a chuunin girl carrying it. His book. _Ah!_ Kakashi hurried toward her, grabbed the book, and held it up triumphantly. His eye catching on the title, he scanned the words a second time in disbelief, "What's Happening to My Body? A Young Kunoichi's Guide."

_THUD!_

The book hit the ground a full two seconds after Kakashi was already gone from sight.

Passing Gai many blocks later, Kakashi slowed to a halt when he heard the man calling his name. _Could be interesting._ Effecting a bored stance and glaring vaguely in the other jounin's direction, Kakashi waited.

"My Eternal Rival! Where are you going in such a display of youthful exuberance?"

"Gai, I don't have time right now, sorry," Kakashi drawled and pretended further boredom.

The flamboyant shinobi raised his hands in defeat. "Ah, so hip, brushing me off like that! But--"

"I should be off. My _Icha Icha_ book's been stolen and hidden somewhere between here and the academy. Probably in a place where only an elite ninja, such as _myself_, could--"

Attempting to hold back what suspiciously resembled a grin, Kakashi's longest-standing friend puffed out his chest and stood tall. "What! Esteemed Rival! The score is still 42 to 43; I must defeat you in a Youthful Challenge! I shall find it first, or I shall climb the sheer side of the Hokage monument 500 times without the use of chakra!"

Kakashi vaguely lifted his head toward Gai, having let his eyes roam a bit, and mumbled, "Did you say something?"

Gai's face changed from kindly and heroic to mottled and red in a matter of breaths. Snapping into his patented "Nice Guy" pose, his voice rang through the clear afternoon air. "How could you--Gah! Do you doubt my Youth and Vigor!? I will find your book, my Hip, Modern Rival, no matter what it takes!"

Kakashi glanced around, taking in the scenery with a sigh. "Eh, if you must..."

It was, as Kakashi knew, exactly what Gai had been waiting for. The man in bright green peered at him from beneath thick black eyebrows and bushy hair. "It is my solemn vow!!" The last Kakashi saw of Gai was a cloud of dust as he tore away in search of the book.

Gai had a flair for the dramatic, but he wasn't stupid. Kakashi was sure he'd seen a smirk settled in behind his friend's wide grin. With a small smile of his own, he started moving again. If both of them looked, the book was bound to come up.

As Kakashi neared the academy, strange things started happening. Actually, the same strange thing, over and over.

An old woman tottering out of the tea house flagged him down, pursed her lips, and asked in a very prim tone, "Shinobi-san, where is your book? So nice to see a young person who enjoys reading."

He blinked a few times, offered up an excuse, "Ehh? Oh, I left it at home today," and bowed before heading off.

A few blocks later, Kiba stopped him, "Kakashi-sensei?" Cocking his head to the side in a movement that definitely mimicked the Inuzuka dogs, he inquired, "Where's your porn?" The chuunin blushed. "I mean, your book. Aren't you always reading it when you're out?"

"It's...a long story. I really must go."

Kiba hmm'd, gave a small nod, and continued walking down the street.

Kakashi found himself wondering since when did people have the nerve to spontaneously strike up conversation with _the_ Sharingan-wielding Copy-nin? _And what _is_ this? It's like they think I'm actually reading it most of the time. I do read often, but don't they know misdirection is a really useful skill?_ With a sigh, Kakashi entered the academy grounds and wandered toward Iruka's classroom. _Best to start by getting rid of this paint._

Unfortunately, backtracking had taken most of the day considering he'd woken past midday, and classes had already been dismissed. Iruka was already gone, too. Plus, now that he was there, Kakashi was pretty sure he'd left his book on the windowsill, though there was no sign of the book near the classroom.

"Fuck." This wasn't going as planned.

Hoping he _might_ have left it elsewhere in the corridors, Kakashi wandered toward the more isolated parts of the school that only he ever visited.


	3. Icha Icha Panic

**Same morning as previous chapter.**

_Ah, morning._

Iruka passed many people along the street as he made his way to the academy. Though most didn't notice the unassuming chuunin, a few recognized him and waved or offered him well-wishes.

_Another day to whip some pre-genin into young shinobi before lunch. I think we'll have a quiz today. Hm...maybe we should go over the rules each ninja should live by. With the camellia festival coming up, it must get a bit confusing since they're usually told to hide their feelings. Hm..._

Iruka's mind wandered as he walked, until he passed Shu-san's gardens. The plants were looking plush for this time of year, particularly her wild onion and feverfew. Spring was arriving early in Fire Country, and many of the trees and flowers that would normally lie dormant were already starting to bloom and bud. It reminded Iruka that it was time to discuss medicinal herbs with his class, and flower codes as they got closer to the festival day.

_We'll go for an herb walk. Best to check with Godaime first, of course._ Armed with a plan, he made his way up the walk toward the academy entrance. _And tonight? Well, maybe after class, I can get some training in before dinner._

As he entered the building, Iruka wondered if his day would hold any surprises.

As he turned into the corridor outside his classroom, he hoped the kids wouldn't be too hard on him.

As he started to deactivate the traps surrounding the still-empty classroom, he froze.

One...the paint trap...had tripped overnight.

A second thought pulled at his mind and, stepping backward through the door frame and out into the hall, Iruka's eyes confirmed what his subconscious had noticed first: a small, yellowish-orange rectangle haphazardly stashed on the windowsill outside his classroom. As he neared the rectangle, he confirmed his worst suspicions: it was one of those pervy _Icha Icha_ books. _What the_hell_ is it doing out here!? Where the kids could--!?_

His first instinct was to dash for the book and shove it somewhere, safely hidden away, but he knew better. So as not to attract attention, Iruka calmly walked over and picked up the book, carrying it back to his classroom and locking it in the top drawer of his desk. He had an idea of who it belonged to--who had set off his trap by intruding into his classroom--and the next time he saw that irresponsible jounin, Hatake-san was going to get an ear-full.

The students filed in five minutes later, and Iruka immediately informed them with a glare that they were going to be having _three_ pop quizzes.

_What if someone finds it? What if one of the kids picks the lock again?_

What if he comes looking for it? He's not known for discretion where that book's concerned.

What if one of the faculty saw me pick it up? They could have reported it already!

He tried to tell himself he was being irrational, but Iruka couldn't shake the panicky feeling in his gut. He found he had no appetite and put his lunch away with a sigh. Facing missing nin was nothing when compared to the pressure of having that dumb little book in his desk.

By the end of class, Iruka was exhausted.

After the quizzes, his students had rebelled, turning outdoor target practice into "moving target practice" and trying to hit any birds or smaller animals that happened too near. By the end, at least one student was in tears, having gotten _lucky_ and killed one of the squirrels. There had been an impromptu funeral, of course, followed by a lesson on the value of all life. Killing frivolously without cause wasn't part of being a Leaf shinobi. Iruka reassured the boy that his tears meant he was a good person, and with an understanding grin, he added that he was proud to know such a compassionate person would be defending his village one day.

A few hours of relative calmness passed...until the herb walk, which became a contest to see who could sneak away without getting caught. Several successfully escaped, but Iruka wrote their names on a slip of paper and tucked it into his pocket. He supposed if any had managed it without detection, it would have been a good test, and mentally added "practice stealth" to the list of assignments for the week.

On top of it all, somewhere in the back of Iruka's mind, there was the constant, infuriating image of that damned book sitting in the desk drawer. It kept tugging at his mind, leading him to distraction at the least opportune moments and was directly to blame for his horrible day.

Eventually, Iruka gave up and sent the whole class home an hour early.

He just wanted to sit down and take a nap before paper-grading and the long, boring trek home. _Oh, and I'll have to drop by Hatake-san's_, he remembered, with a frown.

Head resting flat against the surface of his worn, wooden desk, however, Iruka realized he wasn't going to get any rest with that _thing_ still in his drawer. "I'll just have to take it now, I suppose," he mumbled, stashing the book in his pack and locking the classroom behind him.

Iruka had every intention of going to the mission desk to ask if Hatake Kakashi was on a mission at the moment. But as he walked, his mind wandered--

_What's so special about those books anyway?_

Is it really porn? Or just...is there any kind of plot at all?

How often has he read this? It looks awfully abused.

His mind caught on the last thought. "Huh?" There in his hands was _Icha Icha Paradise_, Volume 1. Somehow, he'd been sidetracked between his classroom and the academy entrance, ending up in one of the nearly abandoned corridors at the back of the school. And in that conveniently low-traffic area, Iruka was holding the book. The book that was supposed to be buried in his pack.

Peering at it suspiciously, he mumbled, "Surely just one look won't hurt. I just want to know what's so damned alluring."

Iruka let the book fall open to the most read pages, dog eared and creased. He felt that annoying, telltale blush move across his nose, following the crease of his scar across his cheeks and onto his ears, as he read page after page.

_...Catherine and Patricia reclined in the bath, ample bosoms peeking above the water. When Joseph joined them--_

Iruka gasped as the book was plucked from his hands and smoothly deposited into the back pocket of Kakashi's uniform pants. Iruka felt his blush deepen before glaring up at the jounin with an accusatory glint in his eye, "You shouldn't sneak up on an ally like that; it can be dangerous. That's one of the first things we teach pre-genin, Hatake-san." With a frown, he peered down at the ground, willing his blush away. He brought his head up to face the jounin when he demanded, "What was that _thing_ doing in the academy?!"

Kakashi had the gall--_the gall!_--to stare at him, amusement shining in the one exposed eye, and Iruka felt his blush spreading again. _Dammit._ But, then, something caught at his mind, tugged at it, becoming suddenly more insistent, and he realized with instant lucidity that there was no paint on Kakashi. Anywhere. With a glare, he formed his hands into a sign and confidently spoke the word, "kai." His mouth stretched into a mirthless smirk, Iruka asked, "So, Hatake-san, what were you up to last night?"

Kakashi's masked, paint-doused expression turned sheepish. "Iruka-sensei, if you don't mind, could you--?"

_The nerve!_ Iruka's blush slowly drained from his face, and before he knew it, he was yelling at Kakashi, leaning toward the other nin with a hard look. "Maybe I should just leave it there since you saw fit to go sneaking around my classroom _and_ leaving pornography lying around for eleven-year-old children to find, **_Hatake_**-san!" He dared the jounin to call him by his given name again, as if they were friends...they were_barely_ acquaintances by Iruka's measure.

The Copy-nin's amusement vanished, replaced by a dead, cold stare that almost hurt the chuunin physically as he met the other's gaze. "Sensei, it is imperative that you unseal the paint, _now_. Because it impedes my ability to blend in with my surroundings, it impedes my ability to serve Konoha. As such, your refusal to remove it is treason against the Village Hidden in the Leaves and Fire Country."

_Asshole!Asshole!Asshole!_ With a rushed hand seal, Iruka released the paint, his eyes never leaving Kakashi's. He was still watching when the rush of amusement returned to the single exposed eye and Kakashi winked at Iruka--_Or was it a blink?_ From the way the light was hitting the mask, Iruka could even see the faint traces of a smile beneath the jounin's mask. There was a lilt to Kakashi's voice when he said, "Thanks, _Umino_-sensei."

With a quick bow, Iruka muttered, "Please excuse me, Hatake-san," and bolted from the academy.

An observer might have wondered at this reaction--Iruka breaking under so little pressure--and may have doubted the sensei's abilities. Fortunately, Sandaime wouldn't have entrusted teaching pre-genin to just anyone. All of the teachers were highly respected chuunin who had opted to stay behind a rank and teach in order to prepare new recruits for the field. It was a vital job, and each had to be an excellent shinobi. However, excellent shinobi or not, if there was one thing that could get under Iruka's skin and ruin all of his training in an instant, it was a twitchy jounin from his own village. Not just Kakashi; any of them could do it to him. They might be good at killing, fighting...killing, but they were otherwise unreliable, irresponsible, and quite frankly, dangerous.

To Iruka's thinking, anyway.

_Besides, they have shitty taste in literature._


	4. Addiction

**An hour later.**

At home, Kakashi decided to wash the unsealed paint off and then train for a while. After all, there was still plenty of daylight left.

_He was reading it?_

He climbed out of the shower and glanced in the full-length mirror. It seemed Iruka had actually done it, as his hair was restored to its natural silvery strands and his skin was as pale as ever. After Iruka's temper tantrum, Kakashi had doubted it for some reason. With a shiver and a grimace, he ran a hand through the already drying hair. He had a feeling he knew why Iruka had chosen that particular shade of red paint and remembered how it had looked a bit ominous swirling down the drain. Was he intentionally so manipulative?

Having brought his mind back around to Iruka, the recurring thought returned:

_He was reading it? Reading it. _

Shaking his head to clear it, Kakashi dressed and ambled toward the public training grounds. He didn't have any missions to pick up for a few more days, but Kakashi and downtime didn't really get along. He needed something to fill his time, and his books...didn't always do it for him anymore.

_He was reading it. _

Why was he so fixated on that? So, Iruka had been reading his book. As long as the sensei didn't find out that the Sannin Naruto and Sasuke were currently roaming around with also happened to be the still semi-secret author of _Icha Icha Paradise_--likely bringing the chuunin's temper down on Kakashi--who cared?

He smirked behind his mask as he walked. _I do, apparently. _

Iruka was reading his _Icha Icha_ book. He tried to imagine the teacher's reaction to different scenes. _Had he been reading it off and on all day or just in the afternoon? What was he thinking while he read it?_ Kakashi was suddenly fascinated. _What possessed him to open it to begin with? He had to have known what it was... _

Arriving at the training field, he easily passed these thoughts off as market research for Jiraiya and turned his attention to the task at hand. However, he was surprised to find a certain brown-haired sensei already there, furiously destroying a post at the far end.

Kakashi masked his chakra even farther than usual and moved closer to the chuunin--the unsuspecting chuunin that apparently read porn and taught children about chakra points and love, who was battering the post with repeated flurried kicks. Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan to watch and was amazed at the chakra control the man possessed. _He should be a jounin medic-nin, not a chuunin teacher._ He certainly wasn't going to defeat an army of Rock-nin with that attack--_Too focused is what my sensei would have said._--but it would be extremely difficult for a single opponent to get anywhere near him. _Definitely under-ranked. _

He watched a while longer before he noticed that Iruka's pack lay haphazardly tossed on the ground nearby, and with a sudden flash of insight and a smirk, Kakashi stole over to the pack and shoved _Icha Icha Paradise_, **Volume 2** as deep as he could reach. Then, he jumped back from the pack, chuckling to himself and patting Volume 1, which remained firmly in his back pocket.

Unfortunately, Kakashi wasn't really focused on the fact that he was supposed to be hiding, and at the noise, Iruka whirled around sending three kunai sailing through the air. He dodged easily, but noted that accuracy like that was deadly. Again, he saw the fault in the attack--_It's too slow. It might kill a distracted opponent, but it wouldn't phase that nin's companions...unless he wasn't really trying to hit me..._--and yet admired the control and skill with which it was executed.

Iruka came jogging over to where the kunai had fallen, collecting them hastily, then turning to face Kakashi. "Hatake-san. I...is there something you needed? Did the paint come off well enough? I'm sorry about earlier, I lost my temper and..."

Kakashi noticed Iruka didn't meet his eyes, not even close, and something in the way the chuunin shuffled made him uncomfortable--maybe because _he_ was making _Iruka_ uncomfortable...Instead of making small talk, Kakashi opted to practice the Fourth's famed teleportation jutsu and poofed away after a hurried-but-cheerful, "Good day, Umino-sensei." Landing squarely on his feet atop the Hokage tower and finding a good spot to recline, Kakashi pulled out his remaining novel and began on page one.

By page three, he was feeling the tickle of curiosity.

By page seven, he had to know.

What was it that made Iruka so...perplexing? Deadly-but-gentle, stern-but-kind? Kakashi had to admit that it disturbed him just a little to know that such an unassuming person was so complex.

In the village file room, he fingered through messy records, skimming "Umino Tako" to "Umino Kawauso" and most of the disordered files in between. Finally, his hand landed on a folder of medium thickness labeled "Umino Iruka." Four hours later, having read about Iruka's family, friends, relatives from Wave Country, his record of service, special skills, and commendations, Kakashi had found three very interesting things about Iruka.

First, the man had a well developed sense of humor and a propensity for tricks--a mischievous streak that could rival Naruto's if tested. His pre-genin files were littered with complaints of pranks, though it seemed to correspond with the listing of "Chakra and Non-Chakra Type Traps" under the Special Skills heading.

Second, Iruka had been officially reprimanded seventeen times for loosing his temper. All entries detailed incidents within the village, and about halfway down the list was their spat at the chuunin exam registration seven years before. Kakashi recognized that temper from their occasional encounters at the mission desk, as well.

Third, he refused to take the jounin exam on six occasions before the Mizuki incident, citing a wish to continue teaching. After Mizuki, Iruka was banned from ever taking the test. Kakashi knew a formality when he saw one--in the margin, Sandaime had noted the words, _"Retain all duties and clearance."_ in his scrawling handwriting.

_You're a rare person, sensei._ He was sure there must be something else about Iruka; the Third had been a discerning man and hadn't made that kind of exception for just anyone.

Aware that this was usually the point at which he had all of the information he needed, somehow, Kakashi felt he wasn't quite finished with the chuunin. With a shrug, he returned the file to storage, sighing behind his mask. It was late and the jounin conceded that he should either try to get some sleep or try to get to page 98 by morning.

Reluctantly, Kakashi headed home.

For days it bugged him. Every time he looked at _Icha Icha Paradise_, he thought about Iruka and the strange dichotomy of his personality. It was like..._Like an addiction_, he admitted. Kakashi chuckled as he ran through the trees, setting his opponent on edge, before dodging another kunai.

When Kakashi returned from his solo mission, Iruka wasn't in the mission room; apparently, it was his day off. Genma, his usual missions partner, was leaned against the wall talking to Izumo, and Kotetsu sat with his feet up on the desk. "Yo."

Kotetsu flashed a crooked grin at the tired looking jounin. "Hatake-san, welcome back. I trust your mission was a success?"

"Yes, thank you." Kakashi's eye curved with the smile hidden beneath his mask and he handed Kotetsu a rumpled, coffee-stained mission report.

The spiky-haired chuunin smirked, glancing over the paper. He noted that, while it was messy, the report was fully filled-out and everything seemed to be in order. Something was _off_ though... _What are those words scribbled and crossed out at the bottom?_ Kakashi had obviously written something a few times, crossing each set of marks out as if to obliterate it from the page. And yet... _That says "Umino Iruka." I'm almost positive. Hn._ Still smirking, Kotetsu looked up on the pretense of searching for his red stamper. "Tch, Hatake-san, I bet you're glad Iruka's not here today. A report like this would get you a tongue _lashing_ for sure!"

Genma wrinkled his nose, switching his senbon to the opposite corner of his mouth and leering at Kakashi. "C'mon, you know Kakashi's not scared of Iruka-sensei, but damn, Kakashi! Now I'm all let down he wasn't here; _that_ coulda been _fun_."

Kakashi thought for a moment, then turned to fully face his friend. "How much do you really know about Iruka? There's something..." He didn't quite know how to express his puzzlement.

"What?" The jounin's senbon clicked against his teeth, switching sides again. "Surely you already checked his files if there's something bothering you about the guy. You're just paranoid, though; he's loyal to Konoha. End of story." He crossed his arms to punctuate the point.

Kakashi shook his head. "It's not his loyalty that's in question."

Everyone turned toward the mission desk as the chair squealed across the floor and Kotetsu jumped to his feet. "What? So this _isn't_ just another interrogation? Another random, 'how close _were_ Iruka and Mizuki' session? 'Cause I refuse to discuss that, anymore."

Kakashi could feel three pairs of eyes focused on him. "No, I--"

"Every other year! Dammit!" Izumo added, moving to stand near Kotetsu. "Why're you guys always questioning _him_? It's not like he did anything wrong; he just doesn't like talking about it. One day, when _your_ fuck-buddy tries to off _you_, maybe you'll get it."

Kakashi stared at Izumo, who was staring at the ground, a bit embarrassed at the outburst. _Where does that fierce loyalty to Iruka stemmed from? And, uh, what was it he said...?_ "Fuck-bu--They were sleeping together? What _exactly_ happened?"

Genma leered. "What, that's not in the official report? Heh, leave it to Sandaime-sama to omit the finer details. Oh, they were sleeping together, alright--"

Izumo cut-in, "Mizuki--fucking bastard--he used Iruka to get close to his students. Iruka didn't have anything to do with the scroll or, well, _anything_. Mizuki was one of _us_ and he...he fucking betrayed us. Betrayed **him**. Stabbed Iruka in the back, literally, while he was protecting Naruto!"

Clearly, this was a sore subject for the chuunin in the mission room, and Kakashi felt it might be better to leave now before he got them worked up any further.

When he turned to go, Genma leaned toward Kakashi and whispered, "Hey, what's so important about Iruka, if it's not about Mizuki?"

"I don't know. He's just interesting, I guess," Kakashi answered honestly, and Genma winked as his fellow jounin slipped out the door.


	5. Alone

**A few days later.**

Rain pattered on the window above Iruka's kitchen sink as he filled the teapot with water and set it on the stove to heat. All of the lights were off in the kitchen, and as lightning crackled in the distance, it lit up the empty rooms. He sat at the table, watching the teapot, trying to keep his mind blank.

Making the tea. Waiting in silence. Pouring the tea...

It was warm and inviting, rolling down the back of his throat like a scalding salve on his wounds.

The ones on the inside. The ones that hurt the most.

Sometimes, when he was alone--which, if Iruka admitted it to himself, was most of the time, now--he imagined Naruto and Sasuke were back in the village, back in his classroom, bickering and yelling. Not off on an unending mission to help Jiraiya. The Sannin's communications network had grown too big for him to deal with alone. As the boys had seemed ready for some time together away from the public scrutiny of the village, Tsunade grudgingly agreed with her old friend's request for their help. Iruka smiled at his last memory of Naruto and Sasuke...the blond boy grasping his smug-looking Uchiha by the hand and dragging him behind the old shinobi as they left the village. He missed them, both of them.

His tea was starting to grow cold and Iruka had only taken the one sip. He stared at the tan liquid, perhaps trying to read the future in the swirling steam.

It was in these moments that he missed Mizuki the most. The way they used to tease one another over their teacups, until one would give in and drag the other off to bed. How Mizu-kun liked to recite awful poetry after they made love. He'd been a bit manic sometimes, but it came off as just a quirk, and it was cute, and...

The teacup shattered in Iruka's hand, flecks of blood and white porcelain mixed with the tea that flooded and ran off the table top.

He really hated being alone like this, left to stew in his darker thoughts, unable to vent to another person. Someone who would just listen for a minute. _Without calling Mizuki my fuck-buddy._ Talking to Izumo always reminded him why they were friends...but also why he never asked the other chuunin to substitute teach for him.

Iruka stared at the mess for a minute, not seeing the kitchen, but the forest. Naruto. Mizuki's uncharacteristic leer. He hadn't seemed like the same person that night. Of course, now he knew it had all been a lie, a trick...

"...a fucking joke." He grimaced at the mess. "Shit, I think I'm asexual."

Iruka laughed out loud, the bitter, hollow sound of it scattering throughout the empty apartment, as he picked up shards of broken tea cup and mopped up as much blood and tea as he could. Continuing to talk to himself, he murmured, "Really, after Mizuki, I haven't been attracted to anyone else. And Anko, before Mizu...Oh, gods, I think she probably turned me off of women forever. Her idea of pleasure and my definition of pain fall way too close for comfort. I don't think I'm up for anymore serious relationships."

He dumped the glass pieces into a wastebasket and set about bandaging his hand.

"Maybe...maybe I just need...a friend? Someone who won't make me feel pathetic 'cause, hell, I've done enough damage on that front myself. And I _hate it_ when Izumo looks at me like I'm some kind of fucked up puppy he and Kotetsu need to take home and nurse back to health."

Hand firmly bandaged in place, he set about pacing. "I can probably expect that kind of thing tomorrow, too, since, with my luck, Hatake's already told someone and now, not only do they think I'm lonely and pining for _my Mizu-kun_," Iruka pulled a sour face, "now they think I'm lonely and reading porny novels. In the end, the damned porno-reader will be my last chance for company."

Iruka's eyes widened at the thought. _He's the only one who doesn't pity me, that's for sure. Maybe I could...No! He's...weird. There's something definitely wrong with Hatake. But...isn't there something wrong with all of us? Yeah, okay, why not? One more minute of Izumo and Kotetsu trying to get me into bed is really more than I can take._

The sensei contemplated the possibility while straightening a few pictures on his mantle: Lee and Sakura's wedding, the going away party for Naruto and Sasuke, Temari and Shikamaru with their new baby. Eight years ago, they were his pre-genin. Now, they had all moved on, but Iruka hadn't. Playing favorites wasn't fair, but it had happened, nonetheless.

Knowing full-well he was being overly sentimental and mostly blaming it on the camellia festival preparations and stress, Iruka sighed.

"I'll do it, then. I'll ask Hatake-san to have ramen with me. Maybe he's heard from the boys. It'll be nice to have adult conversation for once and talk about things that are happening in the village without it acting as a pretense for sex."

The more he thought about it, the more he realized, with a morbid sort of fascination, the thrill it would be to go to dinner with _the_ Copy-nin. Iruka might harangue the jounin in the mission room, but Kakashi was 'the most feared man in Fire Country.' Maybe the boost to his ego would be just what Iruka needed. Still...

_What the hell? Like he's going to dinner with me--a lonely chuunin who's suddenly a bit depressed because all of his students are growing up and moving on. Damn._ He grabbed his pack and started pulling out papers to grade, pens, a bright yellow-orange book...

He stared at the binding, the spine that read _Icha Icha Paradise_, Volume 2, and scowled. Kakashi must have slipped it into his pack. It was the only explanation. The scowl deepening, Iruka picked it up and settled down on the carpet with his back leaned against the sofa. "I'll ask him to dinner, alright. So I can yell at him about this shit," he muttered, as he opened the garish novel.

For a moment, Iruka wondered again if Kakashi really would tell anyone and was surprised to find he didn't even care anymore...

_Jerome_ and _Sylvia_ were going on a camping trip, after all.


	6. Dates and Regrets

**About three weeks later.**

Iruka watched the man across the table with more than just a little wonder. It was only three weeks ago that he'd gotten up the nerve to ask the Copy-nin out for ramen. He felt silly now that they were becoming friends. How could he have been so nervous about talking to _Kakashi_?

He smiled when he recalled the jounin's crinkle-eyed reply, "Umino-sensei, of course I'll have ramen with you."

Now, they spent every Tuesday and Thursday, when Kakashi was in the village, sampling new choices at Ichiraku, and occasionally other restaurants around the village. Kakashi was really turning out to be an excellent dinner companion.

"You know, these dates are really good." The jounin spooned a succulent date out of his salad and onto Iruka's plate for him to try, a habit they were quickly falling into as they experimented with different combinations. However, this time, Iruka was staring at Kakashi, eyes wide, a look of near horror on his usually pleasant features. "What's the matter?"

"Dates," the brown haired sensei whispered.

"Dates. Yes. They're like prunes, sort of, but sweet...You've had dates before right? You aren't allergic, are you? Gomen, Umino-sensei, my apologies if--" Kakashi's eyebrows arched, though no one could see them.

"Yeah. Yeah, I've had dates before. Akami, Shorna, Anko, Mizuki...I've had dates, but..." Seemingly snapping out of a daze, Iruka's voice suddenly took on an uncharacteristic edge of bitterness. "What have they told you? Did they tell you _who_? Damn Genma--"

"What? Slow down. Please explain?"

"Dates, the dates their setting me up on?" The jounin shrugged in confusion. "I...ugh..." Iruka pushed his plate forward, resting his elbows on the table and his forehead on his hands, mortified.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?"

"You...really want to hear it? I don't want to bore you, but--"

"Not at all. We're here to eat, but it's also nice to have someone to talk to, right? It's fine." The one exposed eye crinkled into an arc, the sign Iruka had grown to see as a smile.

With a sigh, he began...

_"Whatcha doin' tonight, Genma-kun?" Anko pounced on the senbon-sucker, who grimaced, but wrapped a slender arm around the kunoichi's shoulders._

"Nothin'. Why, you offerin'?"

"In your dreams, Shiranui. No, no, no. Some of the others are going out for drinks. They told_ me to find you, shithead. I gotta go tell Gai, now, so..."_

Iruka was watching the conversation with a bit of trepidation. Of course, that was the effect his ex always had on him. He knew what she was capable of...in bed and out...and it was scary. So when her gaze locked onto Iruka's, he tried to look away, look busy, look invisible, but--"Heeeey! Iruka, you outta come out with us! Do you ever_ go out anymore?"_

"Anymore? You mean, he used to hang out with you guys?"

Anko beamed at Genma. "Oh, yeah. He's a lot of fun, really, if you can just...get...him...out...of...the...house." She punctuated each of the words with a shake of her finger.

"Sorry, Anko. I'm, uh, busy and I have to--" He looked around at the blank walls for inspiration, only to turn back and find Anko very close to his face. Too close. Jumping out of his chair, Iruka was cornered by the insane jounin.

"Don't lie to me; you know I know when you're lying. Come to think of it, you haven't gone out with us in years. Have you even gone on a date since Mizuki-baka? Have you? Huh?"

Iruka broke under the pressure and his temper flared. "No! Alright?! No, I haven't gone on a date since Mizuki! **Happy?**" How was it that Anko always did that to him?

"No, actually, I'm really **sad** for you. Sooo sad. Look, we need to remedy this **right away**." Her impression of a medic-nin failed and came across as more of a crazy, half-cocked kunoichi. Which she was.

"Whatever you're thinking, don't. I'm fine."

"Nope, I don't think so. What do you_ think?"_

Genma smirked at Iruka's pleading gaze. "Oh, I'm in. Whatever it is, it's gotta be better than waiting around here for the next assassination request."

"...So now, they're planning to set me up on blind dates. _Blind dates!_ Shit." Iruka rubbed his hands across his face and looked up at Kakashi. "Pathetic, right?"

"Well, really, why don't you give them a chance?"

Glaring at the Copy-nin, Iruka kicked him under the table.

"What, what? I'm serious. Sure, Anko and Genma are each a bit sadistic in their own way, but do you think Anko would deliberately set you up to fail? She seems to really like you."

Iruka gave him a dubious glance, but he had to admit the breakup with Anko had been mutual and it left them on good terms. Sort of. Grinning, he replied, "Only if _she_ got something out of it? Hm...I don't know about him, though."

"Oh, I can vouch for Genma. Besides, he can control Anko's sadistic streak and that's convenient."

Kakashi's eye curved again, and Iruka found it somehow comforting. With a dramatic groan, he held up his hands. "Fine, fine. You've convinced me. Who'd have known you'd be so useful? You pick up your half of the check**and** offer free dating advice? Shit, Hatake-san, too bad _you're_ not on the list."

With a chuckle, Iruka went back to eating. Even if all of the dates were horrible, he could always count on the jounin to meet him for dinner twice a week when he was in town.

_It's good to have a friend._

_Anko made her sound so...nice? No, wait, she said **looks** nice._ Iruka's eyes trailed from the blonde's face to her low-cut blouse, exposed midriff, and short skirt revealing muscled thighs. A kunoichi's body. _She was right, but it doesn't make up for her personality._

"Oh, Iruka-kun! Why don't you tell me _all_ about your little job at the academy, now?"

Catching hold of his temper seething to escape, he glared with his eyes while forcing his mouth to smile. "But, really, I find your work with Torture & Interrogation to be so..._fascinating_." With a head bob, she was off again. Not about her job, which she really didn't seem to care for, but his, and how she wouldn't be caught dead teaching children, and how close he might be to becoming a jounin. He wasn't really paying attention, though.

_So much self-importance in a single person?_ All night, she'd been standing in front of closed doors, or beside chairs, waiting for Iruka to do _something_. When he finally caught on that she required him to act like the daimyo's butler more than a date, he'd completely lost interest. She was a ninja, not a princess.

He cringed when she chose the most expensive items on the menu, when she ordered an extra bottle of vintage wine that tasted horrible, and when she drunkenly announced to the restaurant that Iruka was "sooo gonna get some tonight."

Under his breath he muttered, "Am _not_," as he blushed, flashed a smile, and shook his head at the crowd of people in the restaurant. It took all of his strength to drag the trashed, uncooperative kunoichi away.

By the time she was back in her own apartment and he in his--he'd narrowly avoided "getting some" whether he wanted some or not--Iruka couldn't even remember her name. He did remember why he'd sworn off women after Anko: they were all insane. _Particularly, the ones **she suggested**!_

As he handed Genma a mission scroll the next morning, Iruka tried unsuccessfully to convince the jounin to refrain from setting up any more dates, before begrudgingly accepting dinner with one of the Inuzuka's a week from Thursday. Then, Genma disappeared out the mission room door, presumably on his assassination mission with Kakashi, leaving Iruka with many questions about his new dinner guest.

Not that there was much to know. On the appointed day, he met Inuzuka Teeru, an older third cousin of Kiba and Hana, at the local barbecue joint.

--------------

Stumbling into his apartment, Kakashi shed his shoes and flak jacket by the door, the other clothing was lost throughout the rooms, and finally slumped into his small bathroom. He tripped into the shower, careful of various minor cuts and scrapes, somber as the bathwater ran red with blood. His hair was matted with the stuff, and Kakashi scrubbed, unable to stand it for another moment. He examined his own pale skin, searching for a gash or laceration, knowing he might not be aware of it if he were in any kind of shock, but found nothing.

It was a ritual: shower, examine, sleep. It forced him into some sense of normalcy.

When he was sure it wasn't his own blood rushing down the drain, he leaned back against the cold tile of the shower, the chill sending a shiver down his slender spine.

He tried to relax and think.

About the things that had happened on the mission.

_The implications._

Like every mission lately, Kakashi had found himself distracted in the lulling moments between fighting and fleeing. Iruka would surface in his thoughts for no apparent reason and he'd wonder what he was doing right then, back in the village.

_It's six pm, he's eating dinner._

It's midnight, I guess he's already asleep.

It's three o'clock, Iruka's headed home, now.

The oddity wasn't that he remembered details about Iruka, such as his schedule, from their long dinner conversations, but the _frequency_ at which these things came to mind. They had been steadily increasing, and he assumed it was from spending so much time with the chuunin.

Kakashi really hadn't thought much of it until the night Iruka's face appeared in his mind while he was beating off in a tree out of earshot and downwind of Genma. It was Genma's watch and their third night on a journey toward Sound. There had been time for some stress relief, and it was his turn by their usual agreement.

As he closed his eyes, drawing closer to release, it hadn't been Hayate or Genma in his thoughts--his only past "fuck buddies," as Izumo so eloquently put it. It had been Iruka. It was then that Kakashi had realized why he found the sensei so intriguing. Why he bothered meeting with him twice a week, every time he could manage it. Why he'd felt something stir at the discussion of Iruka on dates with other people...maybe _screwing_ other people...

Kakashi's body shuddered against the tile and he reached up, moving the shower head and its distracting stream of water away from his skin. Closing his eyes, he resumed the steady stroking he'd mindlessly begun when he'd started thinking about the chuunin.

He felt like an idiot, like he'd missed the opportunity of a lifetime. _Teeru was his date tonight. And if Genma's telling the truth, the damned Inuzuka's the best fuck he's ever had._ His hand kept moving, gently, allowing a slow build up.

The mental image of Inuzuka Teeru and Iruka made for a very pretty picture, after all.

"...mmm..."

---------------

Iruka had to admit that Teeru was cute, with the same dark hair and eyes, same sweet puppy dog manner, as his cousin. Kind of.

A very hyper puppy dog.

A very _horny_ puppy dog, who was apt to start humping his leg any moment.

Throughout dinner, Iruka had kept a mental tally of appendages, always on-guard for an encroaching hand or foot beneath the table. The man was persistent, taking every opportunity to try to get closer to him. It became a ritual: eat, speak, check. It preserved what little normalcy could be found on the peculiar date.

----------------

His mind's eye closed-in on the image of Iruka's face as the flushed chuunin lay on the bed, Teeru pounding away at him. The smile he found there was the one Iruka used when he thought something was particularly clever, or when they shared a private joke over ramen, when they talked about Team 7's childhood, and when they parted ways at the end of the night. A smile that had freed something in Kakashi.

He wanted to kiss those lips that were capable of making him smile back in the very same way.

"...ahh...Iruka..."

Kakashi fisted the erection, biting his bottom lip, eyes screwed shut. Iruka's smile fueled the lust tearing through his body. Those lips dancing over his skin. Their contrasting limbs entangled on his futon, surrounded in warmth as Iruka smiled and laughed. Strong, sure hands and those curving lips slipping along his cock, knowing just what to do as he looked up into Kakashi's eyes and..._Fuck!_

"Irukaaaaahhh-ahhhhh...!"

Legs suddenly unable to hold his weight, Kakashi slid down the wall, panting and willing his heart not to burst. A whispered "Iruka," uttered in disbelief, was barely audible over the running water.

--------------

It wasn't that Iruka didn't appreciate the _interest_, but he didn't think it was wise to try anything with such an eager puppy...uh, man...

_Eh, how do I know where he's **been**?_

...so he sent Inuzuka Teeru on his way with some effort and went home, alone, to his own quiet apartment.

-----------------

By the time Kakashi found the strength and will to get out of the shower and move to his bed, the water was ice cold. Only the compartmentalized section of his brain still on alert even noticed it; the rest of him didn't care. Electricity ran along his skin, overloading his senses and keeping his mind focused on the cause.

Not stopping to dress, he slipped between the sheets, wishing for sleep to come quickly, but knowing it wouldn't, even after _that_. There were too many thoughts trying to be heard at once, and he mentally shushed them, attempting to get at the problem from a logical angle as sleep ever-so-slowly overtook his brain.

_What is it about Iruka? I don't know._

It's obvious I **want** him. I must have for a while. And it's not like we haven't been _dating_ for a few weeks, though I suppose he doesn't think of it that way.

Besides, he's a chuunin. I can't think of asking him to get involved, make him a target...not to mention, anything could happen to me on a mission. How would he handle it if something went wrong? Would I want to subject him to it?

Eh, that's getting a bit ahead of myself, right? Besides, he's a chuunin_ who's nearly at _jounin_ level; he'll be fine._

But what if he doesn't want me_?_

Put me in a battle, and I can make split-second decisions without hesitation...so what's _this_? There's not even much of a choice to be made.

I know he won't accept a one-night-stand, and I've been a repetitive one-night-stand for every person I've ever fucked. So, that's only two people, but...it doesn't matter.

It's not going to work. If there's one thing I've learned about Iruka, it's that it has to be...all or nothing. A wide yawn heralded sleep as his reasoning began to unravel.

_I'm not good at relationships, not the kind Iruka wants. I just mess things up._

I don't even know if he'd...

Damn...but I'd like to...

Maybe...I think...I can try it...if Iruka wants...

Kakashi's last thought before dozing off to sleep was _Page 75, paragraph 4_.

-----------------------

Dragging himself into the academy on Monday morning, Iruka was horrified to find Genma leaned against his desk. "Uh, how did you do on your mission? I trust all went well?" He was forced to swallow and look away under Genma's intense gaze.

"Oh, we did fine; got back Thursday night. But, what about _you_? How'd it go, Iruka-sensei?"

"What? With dog-boy? Shiranui-san--"

With a scowl, he interrupted Iruka's protest. "Cut it out. _Genma_, please."

"--Genma-san, what is with that guy? He's so--" He lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned toward Genma. "--so _hyper_."

The jounin's senbon clicked on his teeth as he moved it to the other side of his mouth. "You mean horny? Hell, yeah! So didya get laid?"

"No!" Iruka backed away, glancing around to make sure there weren't any students nearby. "Why would you think..!?"

"Hey, hey, just wonderin'. I thought that was the point. Sorry! No need to bring out your famous temper, sensei. There's one more date, and it's a good one. This person practically begged me for a chance. And _I_ am nothing if not an accommodating friend and all..."

Iruka groaned and tried to look as miserable as possible. "Oh, gods, another?"

"C'mon. Trust me. You'll like this one."

With an exasperated sigh, Iruka started organizing his desk for the day ahead. "Who is it?"

"Ain't tellin'," Genma replied with a mischievous grin and a click of his senbon that left the chuunin fearing for his safety.

"Hatake-san, how are you? And how was your mission? When did you get back?" He already knew the answers, but, for the sake of small talk, asked anyway, smiling up at Kakashi and watching the thin frame relax into his chair.

"Ah...it was...informative." His eye curved with a hidden smile. "And you?"

In a low, flat voice, Iruka stated bluntly, "There's a third date."

"_Another_, Umino-sensei?" A silver eyebrow arched and disappeared and Iruka couldn't help but wonder if Kakashi was mocking him.

Slumping against the table, he rested his chin on his folded hands and glowered up at Kakashi from beneath his hitai-ate. "Fuck."

Kakashi looked away with a chuckle, mumbling, "Er, not on the first date, surely? I would have thought you--"

"What am I going to do? I don't _want_ any more dates. I know they're just trying to help, but Anko and Genma have terrible taste!" Mindlessly, Iruka crushed one of the orange mini-carnations he'd been toying with since he arrived. Feeling the crumpled plant between his fingers, he grabbed another out of the vase at the the center of the table.

Kakashi grinned, and it irked Iruka to know it must be a big one if he could see the outline of the Copy-nin's parted lips behind the dark fabric. He never tried to peek at Kakashi's face while he ate--he respected his friend too much for that--but Iruka found himself staring at the rare trace of mouth and chin and cheeks even as it infuriated him.

"Stop." Iruka thought Kakashi was referring to his staring, but then he felt gentle fingers on the back of his hand, saving the last flower from mutilation. "You can stop worrying. I'm sure this date will be fine. Third time's the charm, right?" The odd trembling way the words came out of Kakashi's mouth further reinforced Iruka's idea that he was being mocked.

_Ah well, maybe I deserve it, heh._ "Uh, sure. Third time's the charm? Or something..." They ate dinner in unusual, yet still companionable, silence.

When the dishes were removed, Iruka stood, bowing slightly to Kakashi, as he did after every meal. "It's been a pleasure, as usual, Hatake-san. My date," he rolled his eyes, "is on Thursday, so would it be alright if we changed dinner from that night to Friday?"

The jounin mentally chafed at the formality that always accompanied dinner with Iruka, particularly irritating when he really just wanted to reach out to the man, to touch his hand again. He didn't, of course, but his grin returned as he nodded. "Certainly, Umino-sensei. Have a good evening."

Kakashi poofed away before Iruka could wish him the same.

------------------------------------------------

The character who works for T&I was an unconscious homage to lj user"rantyrie" 's _Training Kakashi_. Of course, I couldn't take it out once I realized it. She was too perfect for that role.

"Teeru" is a Japanese pronunciation of the English word "tail"...and "Shippō" would be the correct name as it means "tail" in Japanese, but it was a bad joke, hehe...'sides, I though "Teeru" was a sexier name than "Shippō", which would just remind everyone of InuYasha. 


	7. Tripping, Falling, Fell

**Two days later, Thursday.**

Iruka's walk to the mission room to meet his third date was the longest of his life. Hands shoved in denim pockets, downcast eyes, hunched shoulders--his apparent misery garnered odd looks from those who knew him, though no one approached. It was just as well, as Iruka wasn't sure how he'd react. His nerves were shot, his mood dark, and he was seriously entertaining fantasies of Genma's balls in a trophy case on his shelf.

With a mental slap, Iruka took control of his thoughts. _Genma may have set it up, but **I** accepted. I'll just have to get it over with as quickly as possible._ The Hokage Tower loomed in the distance and he swallowed hard, steeling his nerves to meet the next disastrous date head-on.

When Iruka entered the mission room, it was nearly empty, except for Genma, himself, leaned against the wall, and a chuunin Iruka knew in passing sitting behind the desk. _Is she my date?_ he wondered, surprised at his disappointment. A questioning look at Genma, who was grinning like mad and shaking his head "nooo," confirmed it was not, so Iruka took a spot on the wall beside the jounin.

After a few minutes of Genma's clicking senbon driving him nuts, Iruka asked, "Don't you ever go home?"

"Oh, sure, but I wanna be around when your date gets here." His eyes slid sideways to meet Iruka's and there was no mistaking the mischief they held.

"So, uh, who--"

"Ain't tellin'. You'll see." Iruka's sour look only caused him to laugh. "Really, you're impatient, huh, Iruka-sensei?"

A few more moments of relative silence slowly ticked by--Genma's senbon, the desk chuunin's pen, and Iruka's anxious heart beat, the only sounds.

Iruka mumbled, "I don't know why I let you talk me into this. The first two were bad enough."

Turning to face the chuunin fully for the first time since he joined him on the wall, Genma leveled his hawk-eyed gaze at Iruka and his face became serious. Too serious to suit his usually smirking features. "Iruka, man, you have nothin' to worry about. You'll like him. In fact, I think you'll be thankin' me for a long time after this one."

The smirk returned, and Genma made a show of running his eyes over Iruka's body before leaning closer. "Besides, you look hot! If he's an ass or something, just come back and see _me_. That shirt shows off muscles no one even knew you had." Iruka's blush seemed to egg Genma on, which, of course, only caused the blush to brighten and spread across the sensei's scar and cheeks as the jounin continued. "I might have to convince you to join ANBU just so you can walk around in the uniform." He chuckled heartily and the quip earned him a playful punch from Iruka, whose nerves were finally starting to settle down.

As they laughed, Iruka noticed Kakashi enter the mission room in civilian clothing, adopting his usual lazy lope as he wandered toward the desk. "Ne, Hatake-san, I hope that mission report's in better shape than the ones you give _me_!"

Just before reaching the desk, Kakashi waved--"Yo."--then started talking to the desk chuunin.

Iruka checked the time. "Genma, where is he? He's late. In fact, that's as good a reason as any not to date someone; I'm just going to tell this guy I'd rather not go out tonight. It's better than--"

"Are you sure, Umino-sensei? We do have reservations."

Iruka spun to face Kakashi, his lips already struggling to form words. "Ha-Hatake-san?"

The silver-haired jounin nodded and looked down at the floor, rubbing the back of his head in a very Naruto-like gesture before bringing his eye up to look directly into Iruka's. "Please, just call me _Kakashi_. And you'll just be _Iruka_? I'd like to take you out tonight."

Iruka's resolve to cancel the date evaporated. _Just dinner with Kakashi._ He felt himself relax as he took in Kakashi's black slacks and unbuttoned shirt, white tank underneath.

"Of course," he replied, glancing over his shoulder at Genma. The jounin was smirking at the pair as they walked away, and Iruka supposed he owed him an apology. 

_It's just Kakashi._

Aside from being relieved, he wasn't sure how to feel about it. He'd never considered Kakashi more than a friend. For the last few weeks, he'd enjoyed the jounin's company, their conversations never lulled into awkwardness, and Kakashi seemed to have a genuine interest in Iruka's opinions. Iruka knew he respected Kakashi's view of things, as well, and valued their friendship, but _dating_ Kakashi?

He glanced over at the silver-haired jounin as they walked. Coal gray eye focused straight forward. Angular jaw forced into a grim set. _He's actually nervous._ The realization put him even further at ease, but drew him back to his previous thought. _Kakashi is nervous about a date with me._

Something in the direction they were traveling felt _off_ and Iruka realized they weren't heading to one of their usual restaurants. _That's right, he mentioned reservations._ "Kakashi-kun?" His lips worked around the words, trying them out for the first time. So far, so good. "Do you mind if we..."

Kakashi came to a stop rather abruptly, still failing to conceal his nervousness from his companion. "Yes?"

"Do you mind if we just go to Ichiraku instead of the kind of place that requires reservations?" Iruka didn't miss Kakashi's disappointment. He was used to reading the man's expressions and he saw the eye droop, just slightly. "See, both of my other dates were at fancy restaurants and it felt horribly unnatural. And, well, even if it's just at Ichiraku, I always looked forward to our ...our..."

"Our previous dates?" Kakashi offered helpfully. "If that's what you want." Kakashi's head bob and loose posture reciprocated the relief Iruka felt at the words.

An about-face, and the two meandered back toward their usual meeting place, arriving _together_ at Ichiraku Ramen for the first time.

Considering the various menu items, his mind began to wander again. _I should have known it was him since he was late, heh. He's always late to our...did he say 'Our previous dates?' He did...Oh!_ He felt like an idiot. Watching the Copy-nin reading the menu with the same deceptive focus as an _Icha Icha_ novel, Iruka was surprised to find he didn't mind the development one bit. The man was definitely nice to look at, even with his scar. Scars were the proof of a shinobi's service to the village, and Kakashi had given more than most. _It might not be that bad, and we've been dating for weeks, apparently..._

Heat forced its way into Iruka's cheeks when he realized Kakashi had caught him staring. The sensei looked away, burying his face in the menu. His mind, clearly bent on embarrasing him, forced him to think about what sort of things a "relationship" might entail and the blush deepened considerably as he wondered about Kakashi's other scars and what his pale skin would look like under the moonlight that filtered through the bedroom blinds.

Still, there was one last thing he needed to know.

----------------------

Kakashi sat across from Iruka, watching the man's features change as he silently poked at the pork in his ramen. Iruka was...subdued, suddenly shy. Completely out-of-character. _Soooo, Iruka-sensei. What are you thinking? Are you miserable? Are you angry? Are you okay with this? I wish you'd say something. I miss our regular conversations, and I can't do small talk._ He'd thought they could just act like they always did--the way they had every other time they had eaten together. But from his hesitant attitude, Kakashi was starting to suspect that Iruka might not be interested in him, at all, and might well just be humoring him. 

It was evident the chuunin hadn't considered this before the moment he realized Kakashi was his companion for the evening. That, too, bothered him. The thought of a one-sided affair, of not even having a chance with the sexy chuunin--and tonight, he _was_ sexy in jeans and a skin-tight black tank-top, his hair down--it was driving him crazy.

Kakashi had to do something to lighten the mood. _Something to cheer-up Iruka..._

He thought for a moment, before hesitantly plopping a slice of eel onto Iruka's small side plate, exactly as they'd always done before. It wasn't, perhaps, the best strategy, but it was the first thing that came to mind . When Iruka just stared at it, his expression unreadable, Kakashi felt uncertainty flare. His limited experience couldn't really be applied, so, with forced cheerfulness, he offered, "Here, Iruka-kun, try the eel. It's very tender tonight."

Iruka looked at the eel, and then Kakashi, and then back at the eel before chuckling and taking it up in his chopsticks. Popping it into his mouth, the chuunin's face lit up and Kakashi relaxed. Iruka stood and beckoned to Teuchi-san, the old man behind the counter. "This is _great_! Can I get a bowl of whatever Kakashi-kun's eating?"

The chef raised an eyebrow at the change in formality, having served the two many times before. Then, he nodded--"Certainly! Anything for my second-best customer--second only to Naruto-kun, of course!"--and spooned out a bowl of unagi ramen for Iruka.

On more familiar ground, the rest of the evening passed with relative ease.

However, when it came time to leave, Kakashi obviously couldn't just jutsu away. He swallowed hard, considered, then asked, "Iruka-kun...would you allow me the honor of escorting you home?" It was a line from _Icha Icha Tactics_ and earned him a self-inflicted mental kick in the head. The chuunin's shy withdrawal returned, but he nodded and followed Kakashi out the door.

The walk was too quiet and the tension between them only grew worse when they reached Iruka's door. Pausing for a beat, Kakashi fidgeted, trying to think of something to say, and then Iruka surprised him and asked him inside.

He slipped his shoes off and chucked them next to the others. His host called from the kitchen, "Is sake okay?"

"Of course," he called back, glancing around the entry. Photographs lined the walls: Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, Kiba...many of the kids he knew seemed to have a place there. It was nice to know that so many people cared for the sensei, and Kakashi ignored the rising ache in his chest, unwilling to address his desire for a bit more than a spot on the entry wall.

At least he was in the door.

Wandering into the kitchen where Iruka was pouring the sake, he took a chair at the two-seater breakfast table. They'd always separated after dinner, continuing their lives as if their interludes were outside the usual flow of time. To be sitting in Iruka's kitchen...it made everything seem that much more defined and real.

Kakashi caught himself staring at Iruka's back more than once, eyes tracing the muscular biceps and the broad shoulders outlined beneath his shirt. He could see the side of Iruka's face, and admired the way he quirked his mouth as he poured the alcohol. How his pinky finger lifted just slightly off the cup as he took a drink and refilled. Iruka's unbound hair fell at just the right angle, brushing his high, defined brow bone. His jeans hung low and loose on his hips and the occasional exposed strip of tan waist left Kakashi breathing shallowly, craving nothing more than to lick it.

Steeling himself, he tried to concentrate. Kakashi had never examined the sensei in such detail. His initial attraction to Iruka had been almost entirely mental, intellectual, but his mind kept slipping into his fantasy of Iruka arching his back, flushed and panting and flashing the smile Kakashi had longed for all night--

"Alright, let's take this into the living room."

They carried the sake to a low, round table, shifting test papers and assignments to one side and chatting about students and village politics. When Iruka had drained his cup, Kakashi offered the bottle. "Refill?"

"Thanks."

As they talked, Kakashi kept his eyes on the chuunin's lips. _Was Iruka was just being polite inviting me here, or does it mean he trusts me and, maybe, wants to see me again?_ Until he knew that, he didn't plan on kissing the rich, enticing mouth, much less carrying out any of the many _Icha Icha_-inspired ideas that kept insinuating themselves into his head. _Just relax. There's time._

He needed to know where he stood. Kakashi lifted his own glass to his mouth, pulling down his mask and pretending to drink. He was leaving for a mission in the morning, and Genma would never forgive him for showing up hungover and cranky. Again. Besides, he had a few questions for Iruka, and, luckily, alcohol tended to act a lot like a truth serum. "Another?"

"Eh, I shouldn't. I have to teach tomorrow and--"

"Only one more?"

With a mischievous look to rival Kakashi's senbon-chewing mission partner, Iruka asked, "What? Are you _trying_ to get me drunk, Kakashi-kun?"

"Maybe." The image of a naked, blushing Iruka invaded his thoughts and he shoved it away.

Iruka accepted more sake, gulping it down before offering up a tentative and quite unexpected question. "Why'd you wanna go out with me? D'you feel sorry for me? 'Cause of the others?"

That explained why Iruka had seemed so distant all night. _If he thought it was an act...I'd be as bad as Mizuki..._

"Iruka-kun, if I wasn't serious, why waste my time? I wouldn't."

The sensei wobbled a little as the alcohol began to affect his coordination. "Wouldn't you? I didn't sleep with the others, you know. What makes you think I'd sleep with _you_?"

"What? I wasn't--"

"--plying me with alcohol? I'm the only one drinking, _aren't I_? You haven't had a sip."

Kakashi cleared his throat and muttered, "Mission," as Iruka scooted closer.

The jounin eyed Iruka cautiously as the younger nin's eyes glinted and his expression hardened. "Oh, I see. _A mission_. Leaving tomorrow?"

He locked-on to Kakashi's single exposed eye and smiled again in the way that made Kakashi's heart race. "I haven't dated _anyone_ since Mizu-kun...haven't slept with anyone since then, except a few times with Ko and Izu..." Iruka downed another small cup of sake, refilling it and looking back at Kakashi, who was losing count of how many cups Iruka had emptied. "And if that's why you were getting me drunk, well..."

He was practically in Kakashi's lap and the always-cool Copy-nin was literally on the edge of losing it--of shoving Iruka down and taking him in the middle of the floor. He was so close that Kakashi could feel breath on his cheek through his mask and the burn of the alcohol made his eye water.

"If that's what you wanted, _here I am_. You _do_ want me, don't you Kashi-kun?"

Hands clenched into fists, Kakashi's strangled whisper of a "yes" betrayed his efforts at self-control. A tan hand trailed up his chest, leaving a tingling path in it's wake as it moved toward his mask.

Kakashi was as surprised as Iruka at his reaction. Abruptly, the chuunin was on the floor and Kakashi was slipping his...feet into his shoes.

"I'm sorry, Iruka-kun. Maybe next time. Sorry. Eh...it's late..." He was out the door before he could change his mind, leaving Iruka sitting on his knees in the middle of the living room floor, flushed from the alcohol and disheveled and nearly too fuckable to be the same sensei he'd been seeing for weeks.

As sexy as it was to hear Iruka's offer and see those lips so close to his, it wasn't what Kakashi wanted. Using the alcohol had been a bad idea, of course, he could see that now. _Dammit!_ He could have ruined everything with his impatience.

He needed a plan, a way to ensure Iruka knew how sincere he really was. Because it wasn't just about sex. It was about Iruka's humor and very nature, that alluring combination of deadly weapon and kind sensei. It was his heart and his spirit. Even his temper. Everything about the man was unexpected, confusing, exciting. Everything about Iruka drew Kakashi toward him and fed his addiction.

----------------------

"Goodbye...Kashi-kun...?" The words had barely left Iruka's lips before the door slammed shut.

"What the HELL!? He left. _He_ was the one trying to get _me_ drunk, why the hell'd he leave?"

Iruka grabbed the cups off the table and carried them to the kitchen, tossing them in the sink and not really caring if they survived.

"Shit. If I didn't have such a high tolerance, I could have actually gotten drunk. Then, at least I wouldn't _feel_ the rejection. With luck, I wouldn't even remember it."

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and leaning his hip against the sink. _I was so close to him...gods, he smelled good, too. Why didn't I ever notice that before?_

Resetting his traps and turning off the light, Iruka sighed. "At least, whatever his motives, he didn't try to take advantage of me when I was _drunk_."_He's not a creep; or, at least, he's a cowardly one. Answers my question._

He changed into his favorite flannel pants and looked at himself, shirtless, in the mirror. Turning to examine his back, Iruka fingered the scar left by Mizuki's shuriken eight years before. _He definitely likes me. And I...I think I like _him_. A lot._ It was something he hadn't expected and the simple admission hurt. Climbing into bed, he mumbled, "Maybe it's the hair color...hope it's the only similarity," as he drifted off to sleep.

_knock-knock-knock_

Iruka yelled, "What!?" as he swung the door wide. It was just after dawn and the knocking wasn't as soothing as his usual chime alarm clock. "Oh, Kakashi-kun, I..."

"You aren't hungover." It wasn't a question.

"Eh, I--"

"Faker." The word hung in the air between them, dangling with implied accusation, but Kaksahi's crinkling arch of an eye showed his smile. "Volume 2, page 127, right? You've been reading it, sensei! Except you really drank the sake instead of dumping it out. How?"

Iruka chuckled. "I dated _Anko_. Developed a high alcohol tolerance. When it stopped dulling the pain, I stopped being compliant, and she moved on to her next _victim_, as it were." He was suddenly conscious of his partially clothed state and the sharp, chilly wind playing across his skin and causing his nipples to harden uncomfortably. Iruka crossed his arms over his chest and stepped back, motioning for Kakashi to come in.

"No, no, I have a mission, remember? I just came by to reschedule, as I won't be in the village tonight."

"Tonight? Oh, right, we did reschedule for Friday, didn't we? We could just take up as, uh, usual?"

"Tuesday, then? I should be back that morning."

Iruka took note of the slightly hesitant tone. _Does he really expect me to turn him down?_ "Sure, Tuesday, at Ichiraku." _Hey, when did he get so close!?_ He resisted the urge to step backward.

"Tuesday," Kakashi muttered.

Iruka detected the slightest movement, and it was only after the jounin was gone that he realized what had happened. Kakashi had pulled down his mask and given Iruka a quick, chaste kiss. The memory of warm, slightly moist lips momentarily pressed against his own brought a fresh blush to his cheeks and scar, spreading down his neck as he backed into the apartment. _Gods, I'm grinning like an idiot._

He'd slipped something into Iruka's hand, as well--a primrose flower. _We've only been on one date--no, he said _weeks_. Has he...he hasn't been thinking...the whole time...he's not..._ It couldn't be a coincidence...could it? Primrose meant the Copy-nin wasn't just messing around about dating him. _It's a flower for desperate lovers. Kakashi...?_

For shinobi, it was a strong statement. He was exposing his vulnerability to Iruka and trusting him not to use it against him.

Iruka ran a hand through his hair and turned on the shower, trailing fingers in the stream as it warmed up. _Well...not a rejection. Far from it. Hn._ He had until Tuesday to sort this out and decide if he felt even remotely the same. Though, from the twinge in his gut at the thought, the answer seemed obvious.


	8. Hold

**The following Monday.**

Mondays weren't usually this easy. The children had taken their quiz without complaint, recited their ninja principals perfectly, and no one had tried to sneak out. It was...hell, it was the perfect day!

As a reward to the students and himself, Iruka took time during lunch to acquire the proper permissions to take them out of the village. It was unusual for pre-genin to leave the village at all, so Iruka tried to get it into the schedule occasionally to remind them there was life beyond the gates of Konoha. When he announced that they'd be studying _hanakotoba_, the flower language, for the rest of the day, Iruka was sure they're cheers disturbed the neighboring classes, and he couldn't help but laugh.

Raidou happened to be around as Iruka's students lined up at the gate, so he got recruited to accompany them, mostly to help corral the children--definitely a two-man job. The scarred jounin didn't seem to mind very much. After the initial questions about his scar and Raidou's warning about enemy exploding tags, Iruka found the jounin to be fairly good with the children, if still a bit aloof.

He watched the jounin out of the corner of his eye, a small smile touching his lips. _Typical. Doesn't know whether to smile or glare._

When everyone was assembled and ready to go, Iruka addressed the class. "Everyone choose a partner. Godaime says we can go out, but only if each of you is prepared to stay alert and act like proper Konoha ninja, alright?" Their faces lit-up at being entrusted with such a grown-up task and Iruka couldn't help being caught up in their excitement. Even Raidou smiled to Iruka's amusement.

"Okay, okay, let's go. Stay close until we get to the fields. Then, I'll give you your flower assignments and let you search." With a wave and a grin to Izumo and Kotetsu in the guard station, Iruka led the pre-genin through the forest surrounding the village and into one of the upper meadows. Wildflowers grew there all year and the tall grasses were dotted with purple and gold and red and white streaks. It had been his favorite place as a child.

The first time he requested permission to go flower hunting with the children, Sandaime had still been alive and Iruka had been but a new sensei. The Hokage had wanted to know why, exactly, Iruka thought learning about flowers was an important ninja skill and worth the risk of taking the pre-genin out of the village.

_"It's always a risk, Iruka. So. Explain." It was an old game, since his parents died, and he knew a reasonable answer would always win the Hokage over._

"True, it's just a silly thing, flowers, but my mother taught me that a shinobi should be prepared for any situation and use everything at his disposal. Well, hanakotoba may not be very useful to ninja in general, and it's likely very few know it, but it's almost guaranteed the civilian clients will be familiar with it's meanings. It could be a useful code for communicating with clients during dangerous escort and rescue missions. The type of flower combined with it's color can send all sorts of messages, after all, and it's just one more tool, right? Like she told me, everything at our disposal."

He'd waited in silence as Sandaime seemed to mull this over, sucking on his pipe and pulling at his beard. Finally, the old man's lips had curled into an approving smile. "Very well. I can see its uses, and you're right, a shinobi should be as prepared as possible. Permission granted." The Third puffed a smoke ring toward his now grown-up ward. "Next, you'll be teaching them tea ceremony protocol and shougi."

"You like_ shougi."_

"I also like my pre-genin to pick up a weapon on occasion. You're training shinobi, Iruka. Unfortunately, it means you're training them to kill. Remember that. I know it is difficult to think of children in such a way, but you're their teacher; it's your job to prepare them for the reality of being ninja."

Iruka had bowed to his former guardian, smiled, and promised, "I'll teach them to kill, Sandaime-sama, but they'll also be prepared for covert operations, reconnaissance, search and rescue...anything."

As he recalled, the old man had definitely smiled.

He'd been younger...much younger...and perhaps a bit naive. But he knew it was a good idea, and really _had_ taught them tea ceremony protocol and the basics of shougi, as well. It was how he discovered Shikamaru's talented intellect and realized he was more than just a lazy slacker (though, later, he had decided to let Asuma figure that out for himself).

Besides, with the camellia festival coming, the lesson served another purpose, as well. The shinobi of Konoha might not seem to pay particular attention to hanakotoba--except, perhaps, a particular silver haired jounin, he reminded himself and fondly patted the small primrose tucked within his flak jacket--the civilians of the village did, including many of the students' friends and relatives.

And since the festival was their annual tribute to love in its many forms, Iruka was sure meaningful bouquets would begin turning up soon. _It will be more fun if they know what it all means._

Secretly, he had another reason for teaching it. Of the few vivid memories remaining of Iruka's mother, learning hanakotoba was the best, and the one he'd chosen to keep alive at all cost. It represented her in his mind, just as quiet time with a cup of jasmine tea represented his father.

Sharing it with the children brought him some measure of peace.

When everyone was ready, Iruka assigned each pair a flower and released them to hunt for their targets. Eventually, he began moving around the meadow inspecting their finds, while Raidou simply stood off to the side, taking it all in.

The first pair of pre-genin that Iruka met already had a plant in hand. "Oh, yeah! Morning glory! A really nice specimen, too. It means...what?"

One of the children, a small Hyuuga, considered seriously before answering, "_A promise_, and when you use it with a client, it can also represent a deal or an exchange that will take place."

With a nod, Iruka moved on to the next pair. "Excellent work! That's sweet pea, alright. It's a flower for permanent goodbyes. When a friend is moving away, it is good to give a bouquet of these to wish them well. What can it signal when you're on a mission?"

Both students answered at once, "A retreat!" Their sensei smiled and continued around the clearing. 

He approached a pair of girls standing over a brightly colored bush. "Oh, what have you found? Azalea! Very nice. This means _patience_. It can be used to tell your client..."

"That you want them to wait," replied the taller of the two.

"And why would you want them to wait patiently?"

The other girl, who reminded him of Hinata more often than not, timidly answered, "Perhaps something has changed? Or g-gone against the plan?"

Iruka patted her on the head. "Exactly. It's important to--"

"IRUKA-SENSEI!! COME QUICK!!" Three of the boys were running toward him, and where he'd expected to see excitement in their faces, Iruka found only terror.

"Namiashi-san!" Raidou was at Iruka's side in an instant. "Boys, slow down. What's wrong?"

"There's...there's a man...bleeding...lots of blood...he's...we think he's dead!" They were tripping over each other's words, but when Iruka could finally make sense of the mess, he left the jounin to guard the twenty other children from any immediate threats in the area and followed the boys back to the bushes where they'd been searching.

"Stay back, okay? I'm going to check. Don't move, and yell if anyone approaches."

Iruka detected the faintest hint of a chakra signature somewhere beyond the tree line. It was familiar and his heart sped up a bit at the prospect of finding someone he knew. Stepping through a copse of shrubs, emerging on the other side, Iruka nearly stumbled over a body sprawled on the ground.

"Shit!" He dropped to one knee. "Genma! Hey, wake up, dammit!" A cursory exam indicated that Genma's wounds were mostly superficial with the exception of a nasty gash on his upper leg. It was bleeding slowly, but appeared to be an older wound, maybe two days..._ Tore it open more recently? Still, that's a lot blood._ Scooping the lanky, feverish jounin into his arms, Iruka carried him back to where he'd left the boys and hurried them toward Raidou.

Hatily, he dumped Genma into Raidou's arms, coming to a sudden realization. _Too much blood to be his own..._

_SMACK!_ He slapped Genma across the face and the man's eyes shot open. "Cold...hurts..." They were glazed over with fever, but Iruka got close to his face, pinching the jounin's arm to force him to focus.

"Genma! Genma, where's Kakashi?"

"Mmer...ssht...drr..." Iruka pinched him again, thankful there weren't any medic-nin around to see it. They'd _kill_ him if he continued beating up on the injured man, but the sensei was sure _Genma_ would kill him if he didn't do everything he could to find the man's partner.

Something flickered in the jounin's eyes. Hoping it was lucidity, Iruka tried again."Genma, where is Kakashi?"

"L-Lef 'im 'bout...three hund...yards beck..."

Iruka turned his attention back to Raidou as Genma appeared to have passed out. In a clipped tone, he quickly rattled off everything he thought Raidou might need to know. "Can you manage to get him back to the village? He'll be okay long enough for the kids to follow you at a steady pace. You can tell Kotetsu to take them when you get to the gates. Mind that cut on his leg and try to keep it elevated. And please, send help as soon as you can. I'm..." Iruka nodded his head in the opposite direction. "Kakashi..."

"Shouldn't _I_ be the one who--" At Iruka's glare, Raidou simply nodded.

"Everyone, listen to me. Shiranui-san is a jounin who was injured on a mission protecting Konoha. Remember what Godaime-sama said? That she needed you to act like real Konoha ninja?" He forced himself not to sound impatient to get moving. "At the moment, that means following Namiashi-san back to the village without stopping, alright? I want you to help him get Shiranui-san to the hospital as quickly as possible."

The group "Hai!" resounded through the forest and Iruka flashed them all a grin, making eye contact with as many students as he could. "It's your first mission for the village, so do your best, everyone!" Then, Iruka started running.

In record time, he reached the spot where he'd found Genma. The injured jounin had left a wide path through the undergrowth, and following it a bit farther than the prescribed three hundred yards, Iruka came upon a sight that stopped him mid-step.

"Kakashi." He breathed the word as one would a curse.

The Copy-nin lay in a clearing beneath a large maple tree. It's unseasonably bright foliage filtered dappled shadows onto his face and chest, reflecting red shadows toward the stretched form and disguising the enormous amount of blood splashed across it.

Shaking off the shock of what he'd found, Iruka rushed forward and started examining Kakashi's wounds, reverting naturally into an in-grained mission-mode.

_Arms? No. Legs? No. Stomach? A stab wound. Deep. Chest?_

He tried to open Kakashi's flak jacket, but it was zipped closed and the zipper wouldn't move under Iruka's slick fingers. He didn't think about Kakashi's blood coating his hands, though, instead slipping a kunai under the vest at the one weak seam designed for just such an emergency. The fabric parted and Iruka was met with a hideous slash across Kakashi's chest, oozing blood and red around the edges with infection.

It also brought his attention to the slowness of Kakashi's breathing, much too slow. Iruka grabbed Kakashi's mask and yanked it down, exposing the injured man's nose and mouth to the fresh air, hoping it would help. Aside from healing cuts and scrapes, Iruka was no medic-nin, so there wasn't much he could do, and he was afraid to try and carry Kakashi back with those kinds of injuries.

_So pale! It's the blood loss. He's...he's cold and...dammit, he's **not** gonna die when I can..._

Iruka gathered Kakashi into his arms and held him, faces cheek-to-cheek. He closed his eyes, focusing his warmth and a thin line of chakra into the dying man, muttering, "...not gonna die...Kashi...you're going to live...Namiashi's sending help...you're going to live, Kakashi...we need...we need to go out again...right...you'll be okay...and...dammit, where is he...don't sense anyone nearby...but they'll make it in time, Kakashi...they'll make it...just, please, hold on...hold on..."

He was just rambling. It was all he could think to say, hoping his voice might anchor Kakashi to reality in some way, hoping his warmth and chakra would be enough until the ANBU or medic-nin arrived with a stretcher. _If they arrive in time._

Iruka tried to harden his heart toward the man in his arms. He pushed all thoughts of dates and kisses and primroses away, and looked down into the face, truly seeing it for the first time. This was Hatake Kakashi, a fellow Leaf-nin, injured and in need of assistance. Nothing more. And if he died, Iruka decided, it was unfortunate, but nothing more. It was a dangerous life. _These things happen sometimes._

Without thinking, he patted the small flower in his pocket before pulling it out in resignation. Those were lies and he knew it. Iruka had spent all weekend thinking about the jounin.

_And then this...Dammit, Kakashi._ Iruka reached around and tucked the flower into Kakashi's pouch. _Me, too._

"...please, stay with me, Kakashi...hold on...please..."


	9. Alive

**Simultaneous/parallel with previous chapter.**

The acrid smoke of burning homes made his eyes water. Obito's eye wept the hardest as it surveyed the damage around them. The demon fox was gone. Sensei wasn't anywhere to be seen. In fact, as he wandered the ruined, rubble-strewn streets of Konoha, Kakashi was sure he was the only person in the village. He didn't sense the many chakra signatures of his fellow Leaf shinobi; the streets were devoid of life.

Tripping through the center of town, Kakashi became increasingly aware that the scenery was changing.

_The mushroom forest in Earth Country?_

Obito's eye wept harder, tears streaming down his left cheek. Kakashi suspected he could guess his destination, and wasn't surprised to find himself standing before the mouth of a cave. The cave. He didn't wonder if Obito was within, still crushed under the collapsed, cavernous ceiling.

The silver haired jounin turned and slowly walked on.

_Genjutsu?_ He tried to dispel it, but nothing happened. He tried again. "Kai."

When he was satisfied he wasn't trapped in a genjutsu, Kakashi decided it must be a dream. But how to awaken? He'd have to ride it out, he supposed, rolling his eyes and willing himself to get on with it.

The scene abruptly shifted again. He was in the forest surrounding Konoha.

There was a meadow up ahead, and someone else was reclining in the tall grass. A head poked above stalks of primrose and shorter daisies, brambles of roses and anemone. Red and yellow camellias lined the meadow at the tree line. There was no birdsong, however, nor any sign of wildlife. Nothing, except for the blowing grasses, flowers, and trees...and…

Someone was up ahead, reclining in the grass. At his approach, they turned as if startled.

"Kakashi-kun."

"Iruka? What are you--"

"Come here. Sit with me?" Feeling somewhat uneasy, Kakashi complied, taking a seat in the grass, cross-legged. The world seemed to stop. Kakashi couldn't know for sure how much time passed while sitting with Iruka. Minutes, hours...whole days could have flown by and, yet, he was somehow content to just sit. If it was a dream, he guessed time wasn't relevant, anyway. And it was so calm and comfortable here that--

"Kakashi-kun..." Iruka scooted closer, rolling over and resting the back of his head in Kakashi's lap. "Why are we here?"

Kakashi barely made out the question. He was staring down at the sensei's face framed in his legs and blushing behind his mask, aware of every spot at which their bodies touched.

Iruka leaned his head back further to look up into Kakashi's eye, questioning.

"I..." Words failed. Tentatively, pale fingers reached out to trail across Iruka's cheek. "I don't know."

Iruka smiled, and Kakashi let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding. The sun shone a little brighter and he was warm--getting warmer--only just realizing how cold he had been before Iruka snuggled into his lap. The Copy-nin leaned over and kissed the chuunin on the forehead, humming into the warm, dark skin as a tanned hand snaked up and over, around Kakashi's neck, tangling in silver hair. He whispered "Iruka..." and it carried gently across the meadow.

"Kakashi…about the primrose…"

With a smile, Kakashi picked a flower and handed it to Iruka. "A daisy, for faithfulness. I only want you, after all. There's no one else." He pulled down his mask and grinned crookedly.

Iruka blushed and held up a flat, symmetrical flower he'd plucked from a nearby tangle of vines. "White anemone, for sincerity." A moment later, the sensei looked away, letting his hand drop. "I lied. I know why we're here."

Kakashi leaned back too quickly, glaring at the man reclined on his legs. "What?! Then, what is it? Some kind of jutsu?"

The sadness in Iruka's eyes tugged at Kakashi's heart, but he remained sitting up, fighting the urges to hug Iruka close or back away as quickly as possible. He was certain he wasn't going to like what the other had to say.

"Kashi, you're dying."

_Kashi? Since when..._ "What?" He was sure he hadn't heard any of that sentence correctly.

"You're dying. You're dying, Kashi!" Iruka suddenly looked very Rin-like. It startled the Copy-nin enough that he did back up, roughly shoving Iruka-Rin out of his lap.

He jumped, sucking in a hiss, when Iruka's arms wrapped around him from behind. The chuunin's cheek rested on his back. He hadn't even seen him move. How can this be?

"Kakashi, please...stay with me. Hold on...please..."

"Iruka? What are you doing?"

"You're not gonna die, Kashi. You'll be alright. Namiashi's sending help."

The jounin turned to face Iruka, locking onto his gaze. "Raidou? What are you talking about?"

"Kashi! You...are...not...go...ing...to...die...yet..." Each syllable was punctuated by the nod of a head on Kakashi's back.

The jounin let it all process.

The field of flowers and grasses.

Imperata...blood grass...and those red maple trees--isn't it still the very end of winter? Why have their leaves budded?

He saw the swirl emblem on Iruka uniform--the uzumaki--red like blood swirling down the drain.

Like red paint.

_Kashi, you're dying._

It took many minutes for him to realize the pathetic scream was his own, raw and feral, the scream of an injured animal. His body refused to respond when he tried to force his legs to run, and Kakashi collapsed onto the grass.

Iruka dropped, too, and wrapped his arms around the jounin, pulling him up into his lap. "...not gonna die...Kashi...you're going to live...Namiashi's sending help...you're going to live, Kakashi...we need...we need to go out again...right...you'll be okay...and...dammit, where is he...don't sense anyone nearby...but they'll make it in time, Kakashi...they'll make it...just, please, hold on...hold on..."

Dammit, but it hurt so much. He'd rather die than go on with the pain. He'd rather die…and spend the rest of his life in the clearing, lying in the grass and watching the clouds with Iruka. He tried to say as much, but his lips had stopped working, as well.

"Please, hold on..."

He just lay in Iruka's arms, silently promising, I...I will live...I must. I haven't gotten the chance to tell you that I...care...about you...and I'd still like to see if you...for me...If I die, I'll never know, so...

No sooner had he completed the thought that--Fuck!--the pain, suddenly real and immediate, pressed in on his senses. The dreamworld fell away and his thoughts degenerated to garbled syllables, mental grunts.

Then, the blessed nothingness of unconsciousness.


	10. Silver and Cold

**Hours later, at the hospital in Konoha**

"His mask!"

The medic-nin mumbled something inaudible as they carried Kakashi into the hospital. "...later..."

"No, you don't understand, he needs his mask. You can't...you can't take him through the halls like that!" Breaking away from the hands holding him back, Iruka was at Kakashi's side in heartbeat. He pulled the sheet up over the Copy-nin's mouth and nose, then glared at the closest medical ninja. "He must have his face covered. Do you understand? It's just who he is..."

"Iruka-sensei, we need to get him to the operating room. And since you're not family..." The voice was urgent, but gentle, and in it, Iruka recognized Kibou Mai, a member of his first graduating class of pre-genin. "Don't worry. I'll make sure they keep him covered as much as possible. You can stay here in the waiting room, though you should really get some rest, sensei. We need to get to work now."

Iruka directed a small bow and a very tired smile toward his former student. "Th-thank you, Mai-chan." In silence, he watched as they carried Kakashi away on the stretcher, trying to swallow past a lump in his throat and wondering if the jounin would survive the night.

It had taken more than three hours for help to arrive and another hour to carefully move him from the forest to the hospital. The medic-nin had estimated Kakashi and Genma had been lying there for more than twenty-four hours before being found. _Blood loss, dehydration, infection, blood poisoning as well as actual poisoning from the weapons, severe chakra depletion...and he hasn't woken up._ The whole time he'd held the man in the forest, he'd remained unconscious, and then, all the way to the hospital. It wasn't a good sign.

There was a chance he wouldn't wake at all.

"You look...very tired, sensei. Please, sit down."

Iruka snapped his head up to find Sakura standing between him and the front doors of the hospital. He offered her a smile before sitting, but was aware that his smiles were probably running toward the thin and desperate side. Her cringe confirmed it.

"It's going to be you, Sakura-chan?"

She came to sit next to him on a waiting room bench. "They called me as soon as they confirmed his identity. Kaka-sensei...How is he? What was his condition when you found him?" Iruka glanced meaningfully toward the door Kakashi had just disappeared through and Sakura nodded. "They're preparing him for surgery, but it will be a few more minutes. Anything you can tell me will help."

Iruka quickly described the condition and location in which he'd found the jounin. He noticed her calm demeanor faltered slightly at the details of his injuries.

"I need to ask you something, sensei. Are you and Kaka-sensei..._together_? I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to, but if you are, you should ask Tsunade-sama to grant you temporary family visiting privileges. So you can visit him, afterward."

Iruka stared at the floor, unable to answer the question properly. _Were_ they together? They hadn't exactly figured that out, yet. And now..."No, we're...we're just friends."

Sakura's face hardened into the calm detachment of a medical ninja. "I won't lie to you. He may not make it. I'm going to do everything I can to--"

"Haruno-san, we're ready for you, now."

"Ah, thank you. Iruka-sensei, please excuse me. Why don't you go home and rest?" With a tense little smile of her own, Sakura headed through the double doors.

Iruka waited two hours for word of Kakashi's condition. He didn't consider leaving even for a moment. Kakashi was his friend, and Iruka didn't abandon his friends. Whatever else the man was to him could wait until the current crisis was over. At least, that's what he told himself. As he paced and chewed his lip, Iruka tried not to think about the way his chest had tightened at the sight of Kakashi's body, the way he'd held the man. The weight of Kakashi in his arms...

The receiving clerk cleared her throat rather loudly and Iruka got the feeling she'd been forced to do it more than once in order to get his attention. "Umino-san? Tsunade-sama has sent a message. You are to report to her office immediately."

"Thank you." With a sigh and one last look toward the double doors, Iruka left the hospital and headed toward the Hokage tower.

The young sensei managed to stand before the Hokage's desk a whole three minutes longer than the Hatake brat usually could. _By now, Kakashi would have that damned book out._ Tsunade scrutinized him a moment longer, fingers interlaced and locked in front of her, before allowing her mouth to form into a kinder line--not really a smile, but neither a frown. "Iruka, look at you." _Hmph. Just friends, my ass._ "Baka. Did Haruno Sakura tell you to get some rest or did she not?"

A blush tinged the scar across his nose. "Eh, she suggested it, yes, Hokage-sama."

"And yet, here you are. You _need_ rest, Iruka. I don't want any more calls about you hanging around the hospital--"

"But, Hokage-sama! I need to be with--" His blush brightened as he realized his outburst.

Now she did frown. "Let me finish. I want you to go home and rest. Get at least ten hours of sleep. Your levels are probably as screwed up as his. What were you thinking, pouring your chakra into him like that?"

"Did I do something wrong? I only thought I could..."

The Hokage stood and came around the desk, draping an arm around the younger man and tousling his ponytail. "You did very well, but at the risk of your own life." She directed him into a chair and sat beside him. "I want you to get your rest, and if you do, I'm going to grant you family privileges for visiting him outside of normal hours, as well as time off from the mission desk. I still need you at the academy, but Shikamaru can help-out, if he doesn't mind, so you can have some full days off, too."

She took his hand, and he could feel something warm and tingly across his palm._Her chakra. She's making me drowsy._

"Get some rest and then stop by the hospital on your way to the academy in the morning. Understood?"

Iruka dipped his head. "Yes, Hokage-sama. Thank you."

"Thank _you_, sensei. You saved a man's life today; two, really. I'd expect Namiashi Raidou to contact you in the next few days. Have faith in Sakura's abilities. Not to brag, but she did have three very excellent teachers along the way. She's an accomplished medic and I trust her to bring Kakashi back. You should, too."

She squeezed his hand, pulling him up and ushering him to the door. "Shizune!"

The young woman appeared in an instant. "Yes, Tsunade-sama!"

"Please escort Iruka-sensei to his apartment." With a nod, Shizune took Iruka's arm. "Goodnight, sensei. The Third would have been proud."

"Goodnight...Hokage...sama."

Shizune glared at Tsunade, suddenly realizing she would probably have to carry a dozing Iruka most of the way, and the Hokage chuckled to herself. Closing the door behind them, she went back over to the desk and flopped into her chair with a tired "hmph." She poured herself a cup of sake and pulled a photograph out of the bottom drawer of her desk, one photo amongst many stashed there over the years by the various Hokage. She studied it for a moment before downing her sake and pouring another.

The picture was of Jiraiya and Tsunade, a blond young man holding a baby, and a silver-haired child. They were all standing together in front of the Hokage tower, commemorating the Fourth's inauguration to office. Even Kakashi looked happy and very proud of his sensei.

It didn't pass her notice that the photo represented the best of Konoha. Two Hokage, one aspiring to be, and two who had graciously declined the offer. _Inheriting the Will of Fire, indeed._

"Brats, all of them," she muttered, gulping another sake. She was counting on the biggest brat of them all to make it through the night. Both for the sake of the village and a certain chuunin, who obviously cared for him whether he knew it or not.

With a disparaging look at the stack of papers on her desk, Tsunade corked the bottle and retired to bed.

The next morning, Iruka did as he was instructed and reported to the hospital reception desk on his way to the academy. "Ah, Umino-san, welcome back. Right this way."

He followed a white-clad medic-nin upstairs and down a long gray corridor. As they walked, she explained Kakashi's condition. It seemed his wounds had been easily healed, though the two deepest would take a repeat session tomorrow. He'd received numerous blood transfusions. The poison was extracted, though it left his body temporarily weak, and Kakashi was hooked-up to intravenous fluids for battling his dehydration.

Though he was still unconscious, it was hoped he would recover with rest.

Sakura stood in Kakashi's room, checking his vital signs and ensuring all of the monitors were securely in place. "It was you that called Tsunade-sama?" With a curt nod, Sakura turned back to her ministrations. "Thank you, Sakura-chan. It was what I needed, even if I didn't realize it."

Again she nodded, though she didn't look up from adjusting Kakashi's bandages. Stepping forward, Iruka placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" She was shaking and all-at-once collapsed into Iruka's arms. "Is it the twins? Has something happened to Lee?"

"No...no, Iruka-sensei, I thought he was going to...He nearly did...a few times..."

He held her in silence, watching the unconscious man over her shoulder, as she cried into his vest. _He could've died..._

"Sakura, it's okay now. It's fine. Kakashi's fine." Stroking her hair, his eyes remained on Kakashi. _...but he didn't._

She pushed away and held him at arm's length, her vibrant gaze catching his own. "Kaka-sensei's always been good to us. He's become something like Sasuke's father and Naruto's perverted uncle. He's like the older brother I never had. I don't know what he is to you, sensei, but you were genuinely worried last night. Your own chakra levels were so low, and...and I was afraid something would happen...that one of you would be left alone, again." She closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath before opening them again. "Does he make you smile, sensei?"

Iruka blushed slightly, not sure he was ready to have this conversation with his former student. "I, uh...yeah. Yes, he does."

After a moment's hesitation, as if weighing something in her mind, Sakura whispered, "Then, I think you should know, he called your name, once, while I was working on the worst of his wounds."

"Well...I mean, I'm sure...it's just because I was with him in the for--"

"It's the _only_ thing he's said since he got here, sensei. And you told me yourself, that he never woke up in the forest." She offered a small half-smile and pulled away, moving toward the door. "Just think about it, okay?"

The door closed with a click and he was alone with Kakashi. The last time they were alone was a disaster.

_No, the last time we were alone was the morning he left on his mission._ Iruka's fingers moved on their own to trace his lips where Kakashi had kissed him.

The primrose Kakashi had given him rested on the nightstand next to the well-worn copy of _Icha Icha Paradise_, the only spots of color in the room. The bland gray decor could use some brightening up in his opinion. The loudly ticking clock showed he still had a half hour to get to the academy, just around the corner. _Plenty of time..._

He sat watching Kakashi for a while. His unmoving form lay outlined beneath the white sheet, his eyes and silver hair poking out at the top. It was unnerving--the way it looked like the sheet had shifted down while covering a corpse instead of up to cover the man's face. Shaking his head to clear the image, Iruka reached out reflexively and grabbed Kakashi's bare hand in his. He held it, watching the minutes count down on that annoyingly loud clock, watching the heart monitor pound out its own syncopated beat.

Coming to a decision, Iruka exhaled loudly, the weight he hadn't noticed suddenly lifted. "Said my name, huh?" he whispered into the back of Kakashi's hand as he kissed it, "I'm glad."

After a while, he gently situated the man as comfortably as he could. Stalking over to _that damned clock_, Iruka yanked the batteries out, tossing them on the desk nearby. Then, he left the room for a moment, returning with a beige eye patch one of the nurses found in the supply closet. He carefully situated it over the unconscious man's left eye where he knew the Sharingan rested, brushing the Copy-nin's hair out of his face. The sensei leaned down and left a quick kiss on Kakashi's forehead before surveying his work.

With a hopeful smile, he hurried off toward the academy.

----------------------------

**The next afternoon.**

When he opened his eyes, it was to white ceiling tiles and the smell of disinfectant. Turning his head even the smallest distance took enormous effort, so Kakashi settled for his partial view out of the window and gave up trying. Sunlight shone through the glass, illuminating the rest of the room, and a small vase of flowers sat on the sill.

Someone had removed the clock, so he couldn't know the exact time, but by the sun's angle, he guess it was close to two. On cue, his mind helpfully supplied,_Iruka will be out of class in an hour._

The normalcy of the thought jarred against the reality around him and something clicked into place. _So, I'm here again._

He became aware of many things at once--sore muscles, hunger, thirst, exhaustion, an itch on the back of his knee that he couldn't reach, his mask, an eye patch..._That's new._ The medics had never taken the time to bother with such things.

_Why am I here? No, how did I _get_ here? Where's Genma?_ His exposed eye searched the room, eventually falling on a nearby plaque. It read, "Welcome home and thank you for your service." It bore a large Leaf emblem, but that wasn't proof enough. Only a real plaque would bear the small uzumaki etched lightly into the wood underneath the words. He found it in the top left corner, invisible if you weren't looking for it. _So we made it._

He tried to remember what had happened. It was all a bit hazy, though he knew the mission had escalated from B-class to S-class, somehow.

His train of thought was interrupted by the flare of powerful chakra in the near distance. Tsunade's chakra signature always preceded her in the village; she had nothing to fear there and was truly at her ease. Kakashi felt his lips twitch, not making it into a grin, before closing his eyes and calming his body, pretending unconsciousness. He wasn't ready to deal with people yet.

Tsunade entered without a sound, only detectable by her chakra. She stood over the Copy-nin for a moment, doing a quick, superficial check. He could almost feel her frowning.

"Gaki...Sakura did good work. Hn. The girl insisted on doing it all herself. Said it was important." Tsunade sighed and moved to sit on the bed beside the supposedly unconscious nin. The bed shifted a bit as she leaned over to smooth his hair. "I promised him I'd watch out for you, you know. Minato would be proud, but how many times have I had to visit you in the hospital over the years? It doesn't get any easier, kid." She felt his cheek with the back of her hand, checked his pulse. "He's been taking care of you. Doing a damn good job. Though getting him to go home...hn...he's as stubborn as you. Maybe worse."

He felt her stand as the moving weight slid from his side. After a moment, her voice came from closer to the window, mumbling under her breath, "At least his flowers haven't died yet." A little louder, obviously directed back at Kakashi, she added, "Treat him right kid. He'll be good for you. And if you're just playing one of your little mind games, I won't lift a finger to stop those baka assistants of mine if they decide to make your life a living hell. Consider it a warning."

Again, Tsunade sighed, crossing back to the door, still muttering. "Dammit, it was worth a try. Maybe in a day or two he'll come around." Just before the door closed, he heard, "You better wake up soon, brat. It's an order."

He waited until he felt her chakra recede beyond the hospital before relaxing and opening his eyes.

_Strange. Who is _he_? Surely not Genma. Though, if I were injured and he wasn't, he would probably feel some kind of obligation._ His mouth quirked into a pout. _He was never exactly the sort of person to give flowers, though._

_And why would Izumo and Kotetsu--_

No way. He wouldn't_...would he? I kissed him and ran. That probably didn't go over well, but..._

Kakashi peered at the vase and read its hidden meanings--affection, sincerity, good health. It was something Iruka would do, of course. It brought a smile to his dry, chapped lips as he imagined the sensei's blush. How he rubbed at his scar when he was thoughtful. Realizing he was dozing off, he murmured, "Hope so."

A few hours later, after a much needed nap that was infinitely more fulfilling than his three days of unconsciousness, Kakashi awoke to a voice in his room.

----------------------------

Iruka moved around the room, straightening a the little notepad on the desk, closing the blinds to redirect the last of the day's light away from Kakashi for the most part, adjusting and smoothing his sheet. "...in any case, they aren't as bad as Naruto or Konohamaru." He rubbed his hands over his face and dropped into the chair at Kakashi's bedside. Sakura had told him that Kakashi couldn't hear him or understand what he said, but that sometimes talking to coma patients helped. He'd taken her words to heart, visiting daily to tell the Copy-nin about events in the village, his students, anything that might trigger the man's brain into consciousness. "I guess my shitty day didn't compare to yours, huh?"

He reached out and took hold of Kakashi's closest hand, sandwiching it between both of his. "Please, wake up?" He watched the pale features, noticing the failing light glint off the silvery eyelashes. Kakashi seemed so fragile in the small hospital room. He seemed utterly unlike himself, and yet Iruka wondered if this was the Kakashi no one got to see. Sometimes it felt like he was intruding into the man's life. Other times, he worried that Kakashi would slip away if he wasn't there to keep him buoyed. He was drained and tired, but someone he cared about needed him. There was nothing he could do, but continue to show up and talk to Kakashi, occasionally moving the man's limbs to flex his muscles or pulling down his mask to apply medicinal balm to his chapped lips.

Sitting up straighter, he tried to smile. "Kashi, I went by your apartment today. Um, sorry about the traps--I had to disable them, but don't worry, I set new ones. It should be okay until you get a chance to check them over. Just didn't want you coming home to rotten food in the fridge, heh. Should of known you didn't actually have any food in your refrigerator to start with. Oh, and I checked your mail. The couriers dropped a letter from Naruto in your box, and I brought it to read. I thought it might give you a break from my boring rambles, anyway."

Iruka pulled a bright red envelope from his pack and carefully removed the folded letter. Clearing his throat, he began reading in his clear lecture voice,

_Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei,_

How are you doing? Sasuke-teme and I are doing great!  
We've stopped in Suna for a few weeks and it's so hot.  
Sasuke says I just like to complain, but it really is. And the  
wind blows all of the time. They say it will only get hotter  
over the next few months, so I think we'll leave soon to  
avoid that.

So, how are you doing? I bet Iruka-sensei's bored without  
anyone to go to Ichiraku with him. Man, I miss that Ichiraku!  
We were camping in Earth Country a few weeks ago, and  
Sasuke got us some cup ramen and we cooked it over the  
fire. I pretended it was Ichiraku and, well, I couldn't  
pretend Sasuke was Iruka-sensei, but I did imagine you were  
there. And Kakashi-sensei, too. Sasuke says I'm writing  
nonsense and he wants to...hey, am not! Fine, he wants to  
write you something, too.

The dobe was writing nonsense. What he failed to  
mention is that we'll be home soon. That's the real reason  
we are writing. I can't tell you about our mission, of course,  
but I can say it will be another month at most, and th-

Uh, sorry. I smudged Sasuke's writing. I just wanted to add  
that I hope Sakura-chan and the kiddos are doing well.  
Don't tell them, but we have presents from Suna. It's a  
surprise!

We hope there's still a little snow on the ground when we  
get there. Take care of yourselves.

NARUTO & Uchiha Sasuke

Iruka chuckled and smiled at Kakashi's resting form. "I suppose they'll be a bit let down that it's already starting to feel like springtime around here. Still, it sounds like they've had a good time." He folded the letter and slid it back into his envelope, dropping it onto the nightstand beside _Icha Icha Paradise_. For a moment, he considered reading the book, but honestly felt too tired to try. Instead, taking up Kakashi's hand once more, Iruka slumped in the chair and just watched him.

If he'd been paying attention to the heart monitor's incessant beat, he might have noticed it jumped minutely before settling back into it's perfect rhythm. Unfortunately, the sensei had already fallen asleep.

----------------------------

Kakashi lay in bed for an hour, until the last of the light had disappeared beyond the horizon and Iruka's soft snores had dwindled and faded. Experimentally, he moved his arms and legs, finding them much more pliable than his neck muscles. His torso and chest complained, but it wasn't as bad as he expected, and he even managed to move over a bit, making room.

Across from him, Iruka sat lopsided in the plastic chair beside the bed that looked like it'd seen one too many mourning visitors. Iruka, himself, looked horribly uncomfortable and cold. Miserable.

"Iruka..." Kakashi choked down his gasp at the pain in his throat. Slowly, he reached for a glass of water on the nightstand and gulped it down at once.

"Iruka." The water had extinguished the burning, but his voice still sounded raspy and dry.

"Iruka!" That seemed to do the trick. The sensei's eyes opened slightly and Kakashi ordered, "Come here."

Iruka didn't even fully awaken, but followed the other's commands in his sleep. He rose from his chair, climbed onto the bed with Kakashi, and lay down beside him. Kakashi wiggled an under and around the broad shoulders. He buried his face in Iruka's back. He smelled _wonderful_ and Kakashi worked to fill his nostrils with that smell instead of the hospital around him. He might not have another chance if Iruka awoke and wasn't agreeable with the arrangement, so he took in the warmth of his body, his scent, the feel of his weight in the same bed. A million little details committed to the Copy-nin's memory.

Pulling the blanket up over his companion and settling down against him, Kakashi rubbed his thumb gently along Iruka's jaw, mumbling, "Goodnight, sensei. I think I love you."


	11. Need

_It's morning._

The alarm didn't go off!

Iruka attempted to sit up, only to find he couldn't move. Two slender arms wrapped tightly around his torso held him in place. The body attached to those arms was pressed along his own--all angles and solid muscle against his back and hips, yet somehow still comfortable. For a moment, he allowed himself to sink back into those arms, back into sleep. Iruka soaked up the heat he found there. He didn't want to move. Ever.

The head attached to the body leaned forward and lips grazed the back of his neck, nuzzling his unbound hair out of the way and planting a row of gentle kisses along the crook of his shoulder.

It felt natural in his sleep-exhausted, overstressed state, and Iruka didn't pull away. A small smile surfaced amidst his sleepy features as he snuggled closer.

"Good morning."

Suddenly, he found himself very much awake. _...in the hospital...in bed...with..._"Kakashi?"

The bed shifted under Iruka's weight. A spring creaked as he rolled awkwardly onto his back, looking up at the man in disbelief. Kakashi's unmasked face peered down at him and Iruka couldn't resist the urge to reach out. He touched Kakashi's bare cheek with his fingertips, whispering, "You're alright." The answering smile held his gaze. "You're...you're awake...I'm glad."

The jounin's smile faltered, just slightly, and he looked away. "You were worried. I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry about?" Iruka leaned his head into Kakashi's shoulder. "Apologizing for being injured on a B-rank mission gone S-rank. Idiot." He might have sounded angry, but there was no heat in the comment, just relief. Kakashi let out a small huff of air, and then Iruka felt a chin resting lightly on his head. The arms found him again, pulling him closer into Kakashi's chest.

The mission room staff had been briefed on some of the details two days before. Kakashi and Genma had been on a routine assassination mission. A setup. The target had turned out to be a missing nin from Kumogakure, who happened to have a small army of chuunin-level fighters at his side who had followed him from Cloud. Alone, they wouldn't have stood a chance against either of the Leaf jounin, but together, it was too much.

Iruka had hurried from the meeting to sit at Kakashi's bedside while he slept, hoping he would awaken so he could tell him. Tell him...

"Kakashi? I...uh..." He watched Kakashi's eyes, pleading for understanding because he'd abruptly found himself unable to speak.

Iruka gasped as Kakashi brought his lips down to meet his own. It was another chaste kiss, like the one outside his apartment, and it left Iruka wondering briefly before reaching out and pulling the man's head back down into a kiss that was anything _but_ chaste. He'd wanted to kiss him every day, waited for him to wake up so that he could.

But now that he was kissing him, Kakashi was blocking his probing tongue's entry and pulling away.

"Stop. Please."

"Wha--?"

"It's...I _need_ a shower. And, uh, I _really need_ to brush my teeth."

"Oh! Heh, yeah, I'll get Sakura. Just a minute." Blushing, he quickly left the room, returning with Sakura in tow. She was promising not to call Tsunade, as Iruka wanted just a few more minutes alone with Kakashi before the Copy-nin was whisked away to give his report. The kunoichi set about unhooking the various tubes and monitors from Kakashi's body, and Iruka slipped out to give him some privacy and get the man some semi-solid food.

Iruka returned while Kakashi was in the shower. He dropped a box of plain ramen on the table, wondering if the jounin was having any trouble--Were his legs wobbly? Did he have to hold onto the railing? Glancing around the room he noticed one of the two plastic chairs was missing. _Ah._ He leaned against the wall to wait, his mind starting to wander from concern to the image of Kakashi in the shower. Soapy. Naked.

After a few minutes of daydreaming, Kakashi, himself, strolled slowly from the bathroom wearing only his uniform pants. Dabbing at a sudden, embarrassing dribble of blood from his nose, Iruka looked away, blushing. When he turned back, slowly, wondering where Kakashi had disappeared to, he found the man standing directly in front of him.

Kakashi was smiling down tenderly at the dark-haired chuunin. Iruka felt his scar flush as he took in the perfect angles of Kakashi's face and the softness of his mouth. Normally, the mask was something the dark-eyed copy-nin would have reached for before his pants and its absence was a telling sign of his comfort and trust. Reaching down, he gently brushed Iruka's cheek with his fingers, "You haven't been home much, have you?" he asked gently.

Iruka lowered his eyes nervously, his voice a near whisper, "No…I didn't…I mean, I couldn't…you were so far gone…what if something had happened to you and there wasn't anyone around to find Sakura-chan or Tsunade-sama? I…I'm sorry if I overstepped…"

"It's alright," Kakashi interjected, cutting him off kindly. Gently gripping Iruka's slender shoulders, he bent slightly, smiling as he tried to align his gaze with Iruka's lowered eyes. With his attention captured, Iruka returned his grin, meeting the dark eyes of the Copy-nin once more. Placing pale hands on tanned cheeks, Kakashi brushed the chuunin's scar lightly with his thumbs. "I've spent a lot of time in this hospital over the years," he continued, "But I've never had anyone waiting for me when I woke up. I just want you to know, I'm glad that you're here. _Iruka._"

Leaning in, he kissed Iruka softly…tenderly, at first, then, he slowly wrapped his arms around the chuunin, pulling him close as their connection intensified sharply. Iruka parted his lips, pushing his tongue towards Kakashi and tasting the sweet, freshness of his mouth and the other responded with enthusiasm, knotting his fingers into the sleek, dark strands of Iruka's loose hair--kissing him hungrily, needily grinding against his body. Iruka started slightly as the signs of the silver-haired jounin's arousal became evident.

With a twinge of guilt, he carefully untangled himself from Kakashi's grasp, all the while stroking his hair and kissing him. With an abrupt pop, he broke away, taking a few steps back and leaning against the wall to catch his breath. "Kakashi, I..."

The Copy-nin flopped around to lean against the wall next to Iruka. "I know…me...too..."

Catching a glimpse of the clock--_Who the hell put it back?!_--Iruka realized he was running late for the academy, and he still needed to stop by the Hokage's office to speak with Tsunade. "Shit. Look, Kakashi, I need to go. I'll...Stop it, hey, I really need...ne, Kashi, stop!"

Kakashi's hands ceased running over Iruka's chest and fell to his side and the silver-haired jounin pouted at Iruka. "Come back?"

"Later. After school. You really need to get back into bed. Tsunade-sama will kill me if you over-do it the very day you wake up." He moved over to the phone to call Shikamaru to sub for him, hoping little Shikarou was already awake or it would be Temari doing the killing. Luck was on his side, however, and Shikamaru was on his way to the academy within minutes. "Alright, that's out of the way. I--what is it?" Kakashi was sitting on his hospital bed watching Iruka and looking strangely satisfied with himself.

"Oh, I woke up _yesterday_, so don't worry so much."

"Y-Yesterday? When?"

"Before you got out of school. Tsunade-sama was here and..." His sheepish grin was only magnified by the familiar way he scratched the back of his head. "...then you came in and talked to me. It was really _nice_."

"You were awake through all of that?" Iruka could feel his face turning red, the heat rising with his temper.

"You held my hand." Oh, yes, Iruka was sure that smirk was hiding some kind of perverse sense of accomplishment the man was feeling toward his own simple gesture of good will, kindness, and compassion. "You kissed it!" The smirk widened into a full-on grin bursting with smugness and Iruka's expression darkened.

He started pulling the covers up, a bit too roughly, as Kakashi leaned back onto the bed. "Just shut up and lie down. Damned jounin; can't trust them. They just mm-mma-mm--Dammit!" He'd let his guard down and Kakashi had taken the opportunity to plant one more kiss. Licking his lips and backing away, Iruka glared at Kakashi and declared in his sensei-voice, "I have a meeting with the Hokage. We'll deal with this later."

The leer on Kakashi's face led Iruka to imagine what the silver-haired jounin might have in mind for _later_ and quipped, "You know, Genma made me an offer a while back. He said if you started acting like an ass, he'd be more than willing to _comfort_ me in my loneliness."

Kakashi's expression fell into a feigned hurt frown and Iruka rolled his eyes, unable to stay mad with the infuriating jounin. Deep down, he was still afraid it was a dream and he'd awaken at Kakashi's bedside any moment. It had happened more than once over the past few days.

Not wanting to waste time being angry and desperately needing to leave, he muttered, "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? Get some rest. We've got plenty of time for... _other things_...later."

Kakashi remained silent.

-----------------------------

He was building up his courage and didn't say a word until the last moment, when Iruka was at the door, about to step outside. "Ne, Iruka?" The brunette turned, eyebrows raised. "Would you gotothefestivalwithme?" The words came out just a bit too fast, held too much desperation and nervousness, and he knew it.

Iruka watched him, biting his lip, before marching back over to the bed and forcing his mouth down onto Kakashi's. Kakashi, for his part, was shocked into complete submission before opening to Iruka's kiss--less needful than before, more reassuring. A promise.

Breaking away yet again, Iruka smiled. "What do _you_ think, _Kashi_? Satisfied? Back later." He winked and then he was gone, the door snapping shut behind him.

Kakashi's stunned expression slowly reverted to his earlier smirk. He let his head drop back on the pillow with a "hmph" and crossed his arms across his chest. Even though he was frustrated and hard, ready to be anywhere except the hospital room, he chuckled. Iruka had asked if he was satisfied. _Yeah. I am._


	12. Affection and Everything Else

**Three days after Kakashi's release from the hospital.**

Kakashi lay sprawled about Iruka's love seat pretending to read _Icha Icha Tactics_, Volume 2, while he watched the teacher grade test papers. Iruka sat at the low table in the center of the living room, and he knew he was being watched, of course. It was Kakashi's third day out of the hospital and this was becoming their routine in the best of ways.

Iruka labored diligently over the scribbled handwriting of his young pre-genin, occasionally muttering a curse at a particularly ridiculous answer or a kanji that was just unreadable. "You know, some of these kids could give _your_ handwriting some competition. Maybe they do it on purpose so I won't know they got it wrong."

"Does it work?"

"Not with me, but it did when I was a kid." He turned and winked at the jounin, noting how comfortable he looked against the sage green fabric. Little white flowers dotted the surface and Iruka had convinced himself over time that they were stonecrop, for tranquility. Kakashi was certainly the picture of tranquility lazing across it. "Don't get any ideas, Kashi. Your mission reports are already nearly unreadable as they are," he quipped, and then muttered, "Hm, one more to go."

As he raised his pen, Iruka felt something grab him from behind and he jumped, sending a red line across the paper with an embarrassing yelp. "Come on, Iruka, finish up. Just one more, right?" Kakashi massaged the sensei's shoulders, kissing his ear and his neck, while the other stared, unseeing, at the paper before him, reveling in the feeling of Kakashi's hands on him. It had been like _this_ ever since the hospital, too--a comfortable easiness to their relationship that Iruka thought he could really get used to.

His stomach grumbled its insistence that they find dinner soon and Iruka shrugged out of Kakashi's grasp. He marked the last of the answers and tossed the paper onto a larger disheveled stack. Amidst the jounin's wandering hands, he managed to throw a jacket on over his t-shirt and jeans, and stepped back to get a good look at them both in the mirror hanging on the wall above the love seat. They made for an interesting pair when he stood beside Kakashi, who was dressed in faded black pin-striped pants cut off below the knee and a dark gray button-up shirt. Iruka smirked as he couldn't help but think, _A damned good looking pair, heh._

Thus, they headed toward the restaurant, side-by-side. Kakashi seemed almost giddy on his first real outing since leaving the hospital. Iruka smiled to himself, knowing that no one else would even notice the extra spring in Kakashi's step or the relaxed set of his shoulders. With a sudden rush of affection for the man, Iruka thought it would be nice to hold hands. They did it often enough around his apartment, but, when he slid his fingers into Kakashi's palm, the Copy-nin stiffened at the gesture and pulled his hand away as if it'd been burned. Iruka peered up at Kakashi's single exposed eye; it was focused on the sidewalk ahead of him and seemingly not taking notice of the chuunin at all. With a quick step closer, Iruka grabbed at Kakashi's hand again, and again the Copy-nin shook him off, this time with a disparaging look that clearly said, "Don't try it again."

Defeated and greatly confused, Iruka moved away from Kakashi. He'd just wanted to hold his hand, not grope his ass in public or make out on a street corner. Kakashi's expression was unreadable, having gone back to focusing on the sidewalk ahead, and Iruka did the same after a quick glare that promised they _would_ talk about this later.

They arrived at Ichiraku Ramen in dampened spirits only to find that the bar seats were packed. It was a busy night for the little stand, and Teuchi-san offered them seats outside under the stars in a rarely used courtyard shielded partially from the street. It was fine, as Kakashi wouldn't have much of an audience and at least they would be able to hear one another speak.

They waited for their food in silence, but once it arrived, Kakashi's good mood seemed to return. After a bit of small talk, he asked, "So, what time should I pick you up for the festival? After class? Or do you need time to get ready?"

Iruka smiled. "Oh, didn't I tell you? There's no school on the opening day, so it doesn't really matter. What time did you have in mind?"

Kakashi gazed down into his bowl, attempting to grab at a particularly odd shaped piece of pork. "We could leave near four and enjoy a few of the daytime events before dark--"

"Yeah, and there's a fireworks display at dusk. I always really enjoy that."

Kakashi looked up from his bowl. His eye was crooked into a smile. "Ah, me, too. You know, Naruto used to tell me about you. He was always happy to talk about _Iruka-sensei_ and how you took him to the various festivals. I never liked them. But now I'm looking forward to it."

Iruka blushed, of course, embarrassed at the rising heat in his cheeks. The blush brightened considerably when he remembered something he had wanted to tell Kakashi. With a deep exhale and some lingering embarrassment, he smiled and said, "Oh, speaking of the boys, the new Icha Icha book is coming out:_Icha Icha Intrigue_. Sasuke's...uh...co-authored it..."

Beneath the mask, Iruka could see that Kakashi was _pouting_. "How did _you_ find out first? Old man seems to be leaving me out of the loop. Eh, I don't think I can read something Sasuke wrote when I know he was thinking about Naruto the whole time." His lone eye widened considerably. "In fact--Hey, wait a minute, _when_ did you figure out he was the author? And why aren't you angry?"

"How can I be angry when I read them myself? Naruto and Sasuke are good boys. Men, actually. They aren't really boys, anymore, are they?"

"No, it's true. They certainly aren't the twelve-year-old children they were when _I_ got them," Kakashi remarked with a chuckle.

"And it's time I stopped acting like they were still my pre-genin."

Kakashi's eye curved with his smile as he asked, "You care about the kids you teach, don't you?"

"Yeah..."

"It must be nice to have so many people who care about you."

The melancholy lilt in Kakashi's voice tugged at his heart. "_I_ care about you, Kakashi. Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke care a great deal, as well. And Tsunade...I don't think she wants you to know how worried she was, but you could see it in her eyes..." Iruka reached out to hold the jounin's hand instinctively. He didn't even catch the movement of it slipping further away, beyond the edge of the table and out of reach. His hand was just gone.

"Don't. Not here," the older nin growled, a stony coldness filling his expression. It was a look Iruka had never seen on Kakashi, though he'd seen a similar, far crueler version cross Mizuki's features more than once. It aged the man ten years--creased small wrinkles into his skin around his eyes, another between his eyebrows. There was a hardness to it that Iruka could tell would not be penetrated by his smile or a caress. It was definitely meant to keep others out.

_Hmph._ "Kakashi--"

Iruka's retort was cut-off by an approaching figure who called across the empty courtyard. "Umino-sensei!" Namiashi Raidou wove between and around the empty chairs and tables outside Ichiraku with a flurry of single-minded excitement.

"Umino-sensei, I wanted to say that, thanks to you, Genma's okay." Raidou bowed deeply, a slight pinkish tint to his scarred cheeks. "Thank you, Umino-sensei. I'm in your debt."

"No, Namiashi-san, please, there's no need for that. We were lucky to be there when we were. That's all." He smiled at the tall jounin, then nodded toward Kakashi. "I'm sure you know my boyfriend, Hatake Kakashi?"

Iruka watched the strange nod-and-grunt ritual that informally represented a greeting between former or current ANBU. He tried not to think about Kakashi being off on such missions.

"Well, uh, Umino-sensei, I need to get going. Again, thank you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Namiashi-san." Iruka watched after the man as he threaded his way back through the chairs. He wondered what the blush had been about. Tsunade had said to expect Raidou at some point, but he hadn't realized it would be to thank him in such a personal way. As if Raidou and Genma were actually..._Oh!_

He turned back toward Kakashi to ask him about the two jounin, but Kakashi spoke first. "Boyfriend?"

The chuunin glared. "Well, what do you _want_ to be called? My friend? My _fuck buddy_?"

Kakashi cocked his head to the side and met Iruka's glare with his own lazy, one-eyed stare. "_Nice._ Iruka, we haven't actually..."

"No, we haven't, but really, that's not the point at all. First, you're pawing at me like a teenager in heat, then you're pushing me away like you couldn't care less. Kashi...where do we stand? What is this..._to you_?"

Kakashi stared into his tea cup for a long, quiet moment. When he finally responded, it was with another question. "Do you know _how much_ your friends care about you, Iruka? Those two chuunin who work for Tsunade are liable to come after my balls when they find out about us. I'll at least get the _If you hurt him..._ speech. And then there's the parents of your students. What will they think of their kids' teacher dating the village pervert?"

Iruka smirked. "As if I'd date Naruto's Ero-Sennin." That earned him a scowl from Kakashi, who was dead serious and, perhaps, more than a little nervous, though he was concealing it as best he could.

"You'd prefer that I tell everyone and make you a target? The Copy-nin's boyfriend is bound to be worth _something_." He looked away, sipping his tea and watching the crowded street some distance away, separated by a dark, empty courtyard full of unoccupied tables and chairs. "Iruka, it's just...before I met you, everyone I'd ever loved was dead. Now that I've found you, that's not true anymore, and I don't ever want to add your name to that list. I don't even want think about it."

Iruka gaped, trying to get his thoughts in order. "You love me?" Kakashi remained silent, studiously pondering the swirling leaves in his tea. "Hn."

They continued eating, a taut, awkwardly balanced tension stretched between them. Kakashi wasn't making much sense to Iruka with his apparent mood swings, but at the same time, he thought he could understand just a little. _He loves me. He's lost a lot of people, and he wants to protect me, even if I don't need protecting. Because he loves me._

He noticed they were both picking at the remnants of broth in their bowls. "Hey, Kashi? Let's go?" With a "hmph," Kakashi stood and followed Iruka back to his apartment leaving the bill to be added to Iruka's tab. The chuunin could feel his eyes on his back the entire time, but resisted the urge to turn around. _Not yet._

When they reached Iruka's door, Kakashi followed him inside without a word, removed his shoes, and joined the chuunin in the kitchen. "Sake?" Iruka mumbled, unsurprised when he got no response. They stood together in the small, beige kitchen, but it felt as if they were miles apart. Iruka couldn't say what it was that had wedged itself between them, but he needed to find out. He downed his glass of sake in two sips, the glass clinking against the counter-top as he set it down, and turned toward Kakashi.

The silver-haired nin was leaning casually against the wall, eying the ceiling coolly. The only indicator of his true mood was the tension in his hands – his knuckles were white as he gripped his elbows.

There was something about his coiled nervousness that Iruka found endearing. Just a glance at the infamously cool Copy-nin in such a state melted away his own awkwardness. He crossed the floor, placing his hands gently on Kakashi's pale knuckles and asked, "Kashi, what is it?"

The jounin's exposed cheek began to burn in an embarrassed shade of red as his dark eye took in the expression on Iruka's face. The tight fists loosened as he gently slid his hands out from underneath the chuunin's and backed up, flattening his back against the wall. Once again, the older nin looked away, finding Iruka's closeness a little too intense for what he needed to say.

"I said I love you," he rasped in an odd tone, "and all you could say was 'hn'…"

He was obviously trying to sound casual, forcing dignity into his voice, but the words betrayed him. Iruka smiled, and raised his hand slowly to Kakashi's masked cheek, stroking it in a slow rhythm. "Is that all?" he whispered.

The Copy-nin started slightly, "All?"

Iruka moved closer once more, hooking a finger lazily into the jounin's mask and slowly pulling it down. "What I mean is, you can hardly blame me," he continued, running a tanned finger over Kakashi's lower lip, "First you're all over me, then you won't touch me because you're worried about me, and then, the next thing I know, you're implying that you love me, out loud, in public."

The silver-haired nin opened his mouth to explain, but Iruka cut him off. "I'm just saying that you threw me off, Kashi," he said quietly, "My head was spinning and I didn't know _what_ to say. But if you doubt for a moment that I love you, you're a fool. And if you think that everyone doesn't already know about us, you're a bigger fool. An ass."

The Copy-nin opened his mouth once more but, again, he was forced to silence by the younger nin. "Look, I know that you're a bit newer at this than I am," he said, "but listen to me, Kashi. I love you and I don't give a damn who knows and I don't care what anyone thinks. Damn them because life is too short. I don't need protecting; I don't need either of us looking over our shoulders continually because of what might be. I need you. Just you."

Any arguments that Kakashi may have made died in mid-air as he pushed away from the wall, sliding an arm around Iruka's waist and pulling him close sharply. His warm, dark eye smoldered as he whispered, "I love you, too," and brought his lips down roughly onto Iruka's.

They held each other tightly, branding one another with their mouths, as the younger chuunin slowly aimed his silver-haired lover toward the bedroom.

Once inside, Iruka tugged at Kakashi's button-up with one hand, sliding it over his lean, muscled shoulders and moving his lips down to the newly exposed flesh as the shirt slithered to the floor. The jounin groaned softly, tilting his head back and moving his large hands up to Iruka's hair. He gently pulled the tie loose, knotting his fingers in the sleek strands as they tumbled down to frame the chuunin's face. Iruka smiled up at Kakashi before he moved his attentions lower still, tasting the hardened muscle of Kakashi's chest and abdomen as he slid the pin-striped pants to the floor. His lips found the scar across Kakashi's chest, fully healed but pearly in the moonlight, and he flicked his tongue out against the sensitive skin, pleased with the tremble he felt roll through his lovers body.

"I…ruka…" Kakashi breathed, moving backwards for a moment and pulling the chuunin up to his feet once more. In a moment, he had removed the thin t-shirt that covered the younger nin's perfect chest and was holding him closely.

He ran his fingertips all across the tanned back and Iruka sighed audibly, grinding his hips slowly against Kakashi as the Copy-nin slithered his fingers down to remove his jeans. Soon, they fell, naked, onto the waiting bed, entwining legs and arms and mouths and hearts. Kakashi brought his fingertips to the top of Iruka's shoulders, running his nails lightly down the other's back, sucking at the chuunin's lip and watching the man's eyes roll in pleasure as he brought his hand around to graze Iruka's erection.

Unable to wait any longer, Iruka pulled away and leaned back on his heels. He reached for the other's knees, gently pushing them apart and up. Initial, panicked resistance became hesitant trust as Iruka's warm brown eyes peered down at Kakashi. "Don't worry, Kashi…I'm not going to hurt you…we'll go slow..."

The Copy-nin sighed, giving up all resistance and allowing his knees to come to rest near his shoulders. Iruka smiled and reached for a small container within his nightstand.

Kakashi eyed it as Iruka broke the seal and applied a liberal amount of lubrication to the fingers of one hand. _It's new,_ he thought, _That's a good sign…_

With the other, he reached for Kakashi's arousal, sliding his grip along the shaft as his first finger slipped neatly within. Another tremor traveled along the jounin's body and Iruka smiled at the man he loved, fisting Kakashi's erection as he added a second and eventual third finger. Eyes on Kakashi's bare, beautiful face, Iruka gently stretched and prepared his entrance, taking extra time to be sure that he was ready. When he deemed he was, his fingers slid out of Kakashi, finding his own heavy arousal and applying a layer of lube to himself and the Copy-nin. Tossing it aside and leaning forward once more, he kissed Kakashi intensely, pouring all of his love, all of his tender feelings into their physicality. The jounin moaned, wrapping his arms around the younger nin's shoulders and pulling him tightly to his chest. Iruka pressed himself into Kakashi and in moments they were one.

The Copy-nin gasped at first, but relaxed almost immediately into the sensation, breathing deeply and focusing on his lover's face until the discomfort had evaporated into pleasure. He started running his tongue along Iruka's neck and his hands along his back. The younger nin inhaled sharply, spurred into faster motion as Kakashi teased him, gently biting his earlobe and gripping his shoulder-blade. The Copy-nin was finding the sensation intoxicating. He moaned as he rolled his hips faster and faster, reaching down and guiding the chuunin's motion with his hands. Iruka adjusted until he found just the right spot. Kakashi let out a moan as Iruka drove into him.

It was too much.

Iruka's back arched sharply. "Kashhhhhiii…Kashi…Kashi…" he breathed, rapidly reaching his limit.

The sound of his name ripe with ecstasy pushed the Copy-nin over the edge and he bucked wildly against the younger man as he came. "Ir…uuuu…ka!!!" He shuddered madly, his eyes staring blindly at nothing as the universe split into dust before him and faded away.

The chuunin followed almost immediately. He cried, "Kashi!" as his body was wracked with spasms. "Oh…GODS…Kashi!!!"

He collapsed, exhausted, beside Kakashi and they held each other in the darkness. Unwilling to separate, clinging together and reveling in each touch, each kiss, each stroke of sweat-drenched hair.

"I love you," Iruka breathed into Kakashi's ear.

"I know," Kakashi whispered back, tenderly, kissing him on the forehead as they lost themselves to sleep.


	13. Depend

**Two years later.**

_The field was full of people. Shinobi. Each clad in funeral blacks. Each familiar face, somber._

As Hayate's closest remaining relative, his sister Shina stood in the place of honor at the end of the line, just behind Kakashi. He could feel her eyes on him, the glare easily communicating the same thoughts she'd been expressing all morning before the service.

She had wanted him to stand in her place, as Hayate's most precious person. But, in life, Hayate had kept his relationship with the Copy-nin a secret. Kakashi saw no reason to change that after he died. Apparently, Shina didn't agree.

They argued: she'd insisted, he'd declined, she'd gotten angry, he'd walked away.

So, while she spent the day being consoled by friends and family, Kakashi garnered sideways glances when his voice cracked slightly or his shuddering breath was a touch too loud. Those who didn't know him didn't realize he was upset. And those who did found it irreconcilable with their image of Kakashi. It was part of shinobi life, after all. No one suspected.

Only Genma, who knew Kakashi better than he knew himself, had mumbled into his ear, "Hey, you wanna talk later?" Kakashi vaguely remembered nodding.

While in reality the day had been a blur, in his dreams, it always moved painfully slowly. And the smallest details were the ones that stood out. He couldn't tell you who was there, but he knew the wind was from the east, that there had been dandelions growing nearby, that his mask had been stifling.

As always, the dream continued. When he approached the table, it held a small, black urn and a photograph of a very young Hayate. Kakashi let his white lily slip from his hands and drop to the pile below as he stared at the photo. Hayate's features weren't quite right. The eyes were wrong and their color...it wasn't the same. His jaw was too pointed and defined, his nose too prominent. So many little things that added up to form a very different picture. Kakashi couldn't place this new face until a scar appeared across the nose in the photograph.

"Iruka!!" He twisted in the sweaty, tangled sheets. The Sharingan spun and glowed. Then, two strong arms wrapped around his shoulders in the darkness.

"Kashi, I'm here!"

"Iruka...I..."

"It's okay. Shh, Kashi..."

Iruka stroked his silvery hair, mumbling nonsense, and Kakashi clung to his lover's body, sobbing into a warm, bare shoulder until he finally drifted back to sleep. Iruka watched over him for the rest of the night.

--------------------------------------------------

**Morning**

The smell of jasmine tea roused Kakashi's sleeping mind. It was so unlike him to sleep late...well, this late. The sun was high on the other side of the drawn shade and the sounds of the village had already begun to pickup with the afternoon rush of activity. "Iruka, why'd you let me..." Iruka was already gone.

Kakashi rolled to sit on the edge of the bed, hand immediately going to his forehead in a vain attempt to quell his throbbing headache.

He hadn't cried in--he did a quick calculation--twenty-two years; not since his sensei died defending the village from the Kyuubi demon fox. Something in the back of his mind told him that couldn't be a healthy practice, but, as usual, he ignored it. Though another thought surfaced just afterward: _Aside from his parents and sensei, Iruka's the only person who has ever seen him cry._ Somehow, it didn't bother him, at all.

Wandering barefoot and shirtless into Iruka's kitchen, Kakashi paused by the doorway to watch the man. His back was to him, but Kakashi had no doubt the chuunin was acutely aware of his presence. He drank in the view of Iruka's bare back, so much exposed tan flesh, allowing himself a moment of hedonistic pleasure. To think, only the night before he'd clawed at that skin as they made love. And, only hours after that, he'd cried into it. He depended on it. The realization made him uneasy and happy all at once and he shifted nervously against the doorframe before finally taking a step into the kitchen.

"Your tea's getting cold, Kashi." Iruka indicated a cup across from him on the table, then sipped his own.

When Kakashi took his seat, Iruka's eyes rose to meet his, and the man's relief was evident. However, he noticed Iruka was exhausted and relatively pale. "You okay? You look like shit."

With a sarcastic smile from beneath his loose hair, Iruka retorted, "Aren't you a ray of sunshine?" With a sigh the smile fell and Iruka put down his cup. He held Kakashi's gaze with a tender look and asked, "What happened last night?"

"I'm fine..." Iruka's expression hardened slightly, but didn't waver. He expected more. "H-Hayate...and then..."

"A nightmare? There's nothing wrong with that, Kashi. It's okay to mourn them and miss them when they're gone." He rubbed his foot against Kakashi's leg beneath the table. "You know, it's Saturday morning...uh, afternoon, you just got back from a mission, and it seems we're both feeling stressed. Why don't you get a shower and we'll go down to the memorial? We can remember them together."

Kakashi watched Iruka's face, memorizing the fine details around his eyes and mouth and scar. He didn't need to explain how scared he'd been in the moment before he awakened. Iruka understood. Sometimes he forgot that his boyfriend had lost his own precious people; the man was made of pure perseverance to keep going the way he did. Kakashi nodded and stood. "I'll get a shower, but you're going to join me."

"I've already had one. I was just about to get dressed and--" Kakashi grabbed Iruka's wrist and pulled him out of his chair, kissing him roughly and dragging him toward the bathroom. "Hey! Kashi, no, I already--! Dammit! Fine...Ah! Careful!"

Their shower lasted _much_ longer than expected and only ended when the hot water ran out.

By then, it was mid-afternoon, winding its way toward dusk. When they reached the memorial stone, Iruka lit two sticks of incense while Kakashi ran his fingers over the names. _Hatake Yuriko. Hatake Sakumo. Uchiha Obito. Hagane Rin. Gekko Hayate. Namikaze Minato._

He found a pair of Uminos just below his sensei's name. Iruka's fingers appeared above his own, tracing the two names. "My parents." His fingers moved a bit farther down. "My uncle. My cousins. We lived in family housing near _that_ end of the village. The place the fox first appeared."

Kakashi's fingers grazed the stone again, pausing at the names he'd already picked out. "My parents. My team. My sensei. Hayate." He smiled over at Iruka, their ritual complete.

For a while, they just stood in front of the stone, each lost in his own thoughts. At some point, Iruka slipped his hand into Kakashi's and squeezed it. Kakashi listened to the rustling sounds of the flag above their head, the trees, the birds. He listened to Iruka's breathing, so very close. _Now or never._

"Move in with me."

Iruka made a noise that sounded distinctly like choking before turning to squint at Kakashi. "Are you okay? Kashi...that's..."

"Or...I'll move in with you..." He trailed off, suddenly not quite as sure. Did Iruka think it was a bad idea? Did he worry there wasn't enough space? Did he think others would talk? Kakashi didn't care what other people thought anymore. "If something were to happen--"

Iruka tried to cut-in, but Kakashi shook his head.

"I want to spend every moment we can together, in case--"

"Stop!" Kakashi's eye widened. "It sounds great. But, Kashi, you know, the others will sort of get the idea if we live together. I thought you were against that. I _know_ you were. Why the change?" He smiled gently at his lover, reassuring him that he only wanted to understand.

"It makes no difference if they know. In fact, I _want_ them to know." The Copy-nin rubbed the back of his head, obviously grinning beneath his mask, a pale blush peeking over the top. "I realized, eh, I was being an ass about it. I've come to depend on you being there in the morning. At night. _In the shower._" Iruka smacked Kakashi on the shoulder before pulling him into his arms. "I also realized that I haven't slept at my apartment in five months, heh. I'm willing to bet that they already know."

"You haven't been a _complete _ass. It only took you two years to figure this thing out; it could've been worse. _Genius._" He chuckled, but was taken by surprise when Kakashi's hands cupped his cheeks. The silver-haired jounin pressed a kiss to his chuunin's lips.

Kakashi thought he heard a familiar giggle nearby. "Aw, he's _cute_, Kakashi-kun!" A certain blond Hokage might have chuckled and muttered, "Shh, Rin, you'll embarrass him." And it's possible that someone who might have been Obito whispered, "You finally got it, huh?" Kakashi ignored the ghosts of his past and took Iruka's hand as they headed toward _home_.


	14. Eight Years

**Six years later. (Eight years after Iruka and Kakashi's blind date.)**

"Okay, ready?"

"C'mon!"

"Impatient, Kashi?"

"Iruka..."

"Alright. Get ready."

Iruka stepped out of the hallway and into the living room. He immediately decided that _astonished_ was a good look on Kakashi bare face, chuckling to himself as his the Copy-nin stared. "Um, Kashi?"

"You look...you...Shit, I love you, you know...but I can't let you out in public like that!"

Iruka's brow furrowed in confusion. "What's wrong with it?" He'd bought the new dark green kimono specifically for the festival. The obi was a soft cream color and a chrysanthemum of the same shade was embroidered across the back. He thought Kakashi would like it.

Leaning into Iruka, Kakashi kissed him gently, running his hand along his back and down to his ass in one fluid motion. "It's too damn sexy."

Pushing the man away so as not to ruin his outfit, as Kakashi was apt to do, Iruka laughed and poked a finger at his lover's black hakama-shita. "Ha! You're one to talk. I'm just glad we're going together, then."

"Shall we go?" Kakashi offered his arm, inclining his head toward Iruka.

They swung by Ichiraku on their way to the Hokage tower, dutifully retrieving a few containers of pork ramen to-go. With the prospect of so much festival food ahead, _someone_ needed to ensure the Hokage ate a somewhat proper meal beforehand.

In the entry hall of the Hokage tower, Kotetsu greeted them with a grin and a wave, immediately turning his attention back to his papers and doodles. "Hey, Ko-kun, you know the ANBU will get angry if they see you just waving us through like this?"

"Nah. I know it's you. And if you're around, then Kakashi-san's right behind. Go on up. They're waiting."

They mounted the large red staircase, carrying dinner to the Hokage's office. The ANBU stationed there nodded and Kakashi held the door open so Iruka could get the containers inside without spilling. He set them down on the desk and looked around, but Rokudaime was nowhere in the room. "Kashi?"

"Eh, don't look now..."

"Iruka-sensei!!" Iruka had only seconds to brace before Naruto bounded in from balcony and straight into him. He had hoped the boy--_man_, he corrected himself--would have grown out of this, but over the years, he'd simply accepted that some things never changed. The blond was still the same rambunctious ball of energy he had always been, though age had taken the edge off of his temper and experience had taught him to think before he spoke. He was a man, a good man, as well as the Sixth Hokage of Konohagakure.

And currently squeezing the life out of his former sensei.

Kakashi called out, "Oi, Naruto..RAMEN!" and suddenly Iruka found himself able to breath again.

Shooting a thankful glance at Kakashi, he smoothed his kimono with an indignant snort as Naruto yelled the ritual "Itadakimasu!" and started in on his ramen, seemingly focused to the exclusion of all else...except, of course..."Sasuke, you want some? Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei brought it."

Kakashi and Iruka both turned to find the head of ANBU leaned against the wall behind them. Neither had sensed his entrance.

"Dobe, _someone_ has to watch out for you while you stuff your face." At their inquisitive looks, Sasuke granted a small smile. "Guard duty. It's my _mission_ to guard to the Hokage during the festival."

"I'm an A-rank!" Naruto added, mouth half-full of noodles. "Hey, thanks for bringing the ramen, sensei. I was starving. They won't bring me any food from the festival." He shot a glare at Sasuke before smiling at his teachers. "You guys come eat, too."

Settling down in the Hokage's office, the four ate their dinner amidst laughter and reminiscing. It was an odd gathering--a chuunin teacher, the head of ANBU, the famous Copy-nin, and the Sixth Hokage--but it was natural, too. They were inexplicably connected, far beyond the adoptive relationships of fathers and sons, the only lasting, official connections between the younger men and their seniors. They were like a family.

Eventually, there was a knock at the door. Naruto grimaced and glared in the direction of the knock, but his voice held no annoyance when he called, "Enter."

"Rokudaime-sama, it is nearly time for your speech." The advisor bowed and fidgeted so much Iruka nearly offered the man a chair.

"Yeah, okay. Thank you." With another bow, the advisor disappeared out the door. "Well, let's head out?" Naruto hopped to his feet and was already half-way to the door by the time Kakashi and Iruka started to get up. They noticed Sasuke had beaten Naruto or, more likely, anticipated his spouse's movement ahead of time.

"You guys getting slow in your old age? Tsunade-baachan will be pissed if I'm late." Naruto's laughter carried them all down the stairs and out the door.

Walking down a public street with the Hokage was like being put behind glass and displayed as an novelty. Iruka and Naruto, flanked by Kakashi and Sasuke respectively, meandered through the crowds, chattering about various happenings in the village. As they walked, Iruka tried to effect a relaxed mood, but he felt a bit out-classed by his colleagues when the quiet comments started filtering through the conversation--"Is that the Sharingan user? Ooh, he's so mysterious looking!" "Hey, look, it's the Hokage!" "That Uchiha Sasuke gives me the creeps." The last one got a quick glare from Sasuke that Iruka was sure Ibiki must have taught him.

For Iruka's part, the sensei felt a bit ashamed at the small twinge of jealousy he felt. No one seemed to notice him sandwiched between Naruto-Rokudaime and Sharingan Kakashi. Still, he knew he shouldn't worry. It wasn't everyone who was seen conversing with the Hokage as he strolled through the village.

He was letting Naruto do most of the talking, listening as he went on about Sakura's twins and asked about their progress at the academy. Iruka assured him that the children had the best chakra control he had ever seen and that they showed more potential than Naruto had at their age. The blond scowled at Iruka for the jab, and for a moment, the old sensei could see a familiar little boy in the face of the man. _Wait...old?_

When Sasuke started whispering to Naruto, Kakashi slipped his arm around Iruka's waist. "Hey, Iru-_chaaaan_..." Iruka poked Kakashi in the shoulder. "Ne, okay, okay. Iruka, for you." His other hand was holding up a small, white daisy.

With a contented smile, Iruka slipped the daisy--for 'faithfulness'--into his obi and wrapped his own arm around Kakashi. He remembered how impossible the move would have been just a few years before and the thought made him squeeze the man even closer.

For a while, the walk was almost peaceful...until Naruto turned to them and wrinkled his nose. "Ew, c'mon guys! Stop it!" It was a running joke amongst the four and the young Hokage tried to hold his glare, but couldn't supress his laughter at his own teasing and finally broke into a wide smile. "Ah, we're here!"

He broke away from the group, dragging Sasuke with him, the white jacket with red swirling clouds patterned around the bottom waving behind him. Kakashi chuckled and yelled above the crowd, "He looks just like the Fourth, doesn't he?" Iruka nodded, barely able to hear himself think over the growing knot of people. However, Naruto's uncanny hearing had him marching right back.

Iruka only registered the panic in Kakashi's eye a second before Naruto reached toward the jounin, grinning. He latched onto the Copy-nin and pulled him into a hug in much the same way he'd always done to Iruka. It was very undignified behavior for a Hokage, but it couldn't be denied that such things as decorum held little sway with the young man. Indeed, as always, Naruto couldn't be anything other than himself. It was for this that the villagers adored him.

Iruka watched, laughing, as the blond untangled himself from Kakashi, winked, and recommenced pulling Sasuke by the hand toward the large platform. Kakashi fixed Iruka with a scandalized, one-eyed glare before tugging him closer and kissing his forehead. "Just remember, you helped make him that way, Iruka. He's _your_ kid and _your_ responsibility. Mine's the well-behaved one, you see."

"You mean yours is the sour one who takes things way too seriously? Sounds like the stories Tsunade-sama tells of a certain person when _he_ was a kid." The silver-haired jounin had turned back toward the platform, however, and pretended not to hear him. Iruka smirked and slid his hand into Kakashi's just as a cheer moved through the crowd.

The Hokage was perched on the platform above, watching the villagers with a mischevious grin.

Naruto raised his hands in a gesture asking for silence before he stepped up to the microphone. Sasuke stood just behind and off to the side.

As he began to speak, Iruka witnessed the astonishing transformation from Naruto to Rokudaime. "Welcome to the annual camellia festival. This is my first time opening the festival, so I want to ask you all to be patient with me. The theme for the festival is love, of course, so I thought I'd tell you a little about my own experiences with it.

"You see, I was taught about love from many different people and in many different ways. I learned how to _be_ loved from Umino Iruka, my pre-genin sensei, who taught me about self-worth dining over ramen at Ichiraku. I learned about rejection from Haruno Sakura. I think we all have at least one story like that!" Laughter speckled the crowd, proof of Naruto's words. With a gentle smile, far gentler than most aside from his genin team had ever seen, Naruto continued, "I'm glad to say we're both happier for it. I learned about loyalty and love for my team from Hatake Kakashi. He taught me to depend on those people and trust them with my life. From Uchiha Sasuke, I learned that love has a price, and it's worth fighting for. And when we brought him back to the village, I learned from all of you about forgiveness and the love of this community.

"Finally, I learned the love of the Hokage for Konoha from Sandaime and Yondaime. They sacrificed their lives to ensure Konoha's continuing survival. You can expect no less from me. I love you all, I love this village, and I will defend it and all of you with everything I have to give!"

The spell was broken when, in his customary zealous enthusiasm, Naruto ended the sentence with a ringing _dattebayo!_, letting it echo across the market square. Whereas this would have been an annoying habit when he was younger, Iruka realized belatedly that Naruto was using his excitement as a tool. It was contagious and spreading through the crowd.

Peering up at the blond, seeing him in a new light, Iruka mumbled, "He _has_ grown up."

Naruto raised his hands, again requesting quiet. "I hope you all enjoy the festival. And don't forget, if you're ready to make the commitment or if you've been married during the year, go by and sign the village registry. Signing earns you official recognition as a married couple, and it ensures your loved ones the rights that go along with such recognition. It's a big decision, I know, but it's one I've certainly never regretted." He clapped his hands together. "Now, then, let the festivities begin!"

Couples began streaming out of the square, making their way toward the registry booth. Aside from the flower viewings and the pared, the real draw of the camellia festival was that the marriage ceremonies conducted throughout the year were made official by their addition to the registry. Young men and women lined up entwined with one another, a few of the girls crying happy tears. All were seemingly thrilled.

For their part, Iruka and Kakashi trekked in the opposite direction. From what Iruka could make out, Kakashi had heard about a weapons throwing booth where a man claimed no one could hit his targets and Kakashi had made a bet with Tsunade that Iruka could hit them every time.

After a full day of festival-going, the two dragged themselves back to the Hokage's office just after dusk. The younger pair were already there, sake poured and waiting. Around a low table brought in just for the occasion, the odd _family_ watched the fireworks bursting over the village.

"It was a good speech, Naru-kun. You know, I'm really proud of you...both of you; I don't think we tell you that often enough." Iruka knew he was being overly sentimental, but couldn't bring himself to care as the sake infused itself in his bloodstream. It seemed eight years with Kakashi had eroded his tolerance, he noted vaguely at the edge of his consciousness.

"Thanks, sensei. You know, since you guys always had legal guardianship anyway, it's sort of like you're our parents, you know?"

Sasuke smirked and chimed in with, "Who's the dad?"

To which Kakashi responded, "Well, I think that's obvious." The other three just looked at him for a moment before he snorted and muttered, "Okay, okay, sorry. I guess it's not me, then."

Naruto patted the Copy-nin on the shoulder. "Don't worry Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke thinks he's in charge, too. We just let them think that, though, so it's okay." Even Sasuke laughed as he took another drink of sake. They were all beginning to lose count.

Naruto raised his small cup and drank again. "You know, Sasuke and I would like to adopt a child one day. Some kid who _needs_ us like we needed you guys!" Sasuke looked away, smiling, though the others could easily see the blush reaching all the way to the pale Uchiha's ears. "Until then, we'll just have to keep visitng the orphanage. I kind of like to think of them all as ours--"

Sasuke mutter, "Shit, dobe, that's a lot of kids."

"What? You don't think I can handle a bunch of little kids?" Naruto rolled his eyes and turned back to the two sensei. "Ne, Iruka-sensei. Can we go out on the balcony?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. Be right back, Kashi." The other nodded.

On the breezy balcony, Naruto leaned on his arms against the railing. He was silent for many minutes before speaking, and only then in quiet, serious tones. "Sensei, I just wanna say I'm glad for you and Kakashi-sensei. You guys seem really happy. Before, it was like you were always waiting for something. I always wondered what it was, because it made you pretty sad. You've both been lonely for a long time, so if you're happy...then that makes me happy, too!"

The serious mood vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and Naruto straightened up a bit grinning as Sasuke stepped outside followed by Kakashi who was muttering something about "...happier today..." The Hokage raised an inquisitive brow toward his teacher.

"Eh, what Kakashi means to say is...we signed the registry today. It's official, now." There was no way Iruka could hide his blush, so he didn't even try.

Sasuke raised the sake bottle, surprising everyone by giggling as he suggested another round. The others, quite horrified, decided he'd definitely had enough if the Uchiha was giggling, of all things, and Naruto pried the bottle from Sasuke's fingers.

The group said their goodbyes, Kakashi insisting that he _had_ to get Iruka home--immediately--to _put him to bed_.

And Naruto only laughed again, wishing them well before returning to his drunken mate and bemoaning his demon-enhanced metabolism and his own inability to get drunk with him.

It was about halfway home that Kakashi realized he'd just married a lunatic. Iruka was laughing. Not the boisterous laughter that came so naturally to Naruto, nor Sasuke's drunken giggle that still made the Copy-nin shudder. It was the laugh Iruka reserved for certain special moments, and as he was currently rather single-mindedly intent on getting Iruka home to re-consummate their relationship, Kakashi was only able to identify it as Iruka's after-sex laugh. Which seemed odd and completely out-of-place. "What is it? You okay?"

Iruka nodded, rubbing the scar across his nose in thought. "Kashi, we just had drinks with the Hokage. Maybe, one day, the greatest Hokage ever. And you know what? It was love that made him worthy of that honor. It wasn't the Kyuubi fox or his battle prowess or his temper, though they are all parts of Naruto. It was just love."

For the first time in their eight years together, Kakashi was sure he was seeing Iruka good and truly drunk and he leered maliciously at the younger man. "_Really_, sensei?" he asked as they stumbled into their apartment, "Care to demonstrate?"

_-owari-_


End file.
